When Pigs Fly
by Nerro
Summary: AU She thought it was her chance to become part of the mafia. Sure, she got it, but she didn't expect it to be through this way. DinoXOC
1. Encounter With The Pig

_Disclaimer- Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's._

Technically I've developed an obsession for pairing OC's with canon characters. No, I'll surely stop soon…I think. Actually, I'm not extremely familiar with Dino's character; he's rather minor, so if I've made him OOC in any way I apologize sincerely. This OC is much livelier than any other I've created, but definitely not as lively as a crazy type. Note that if my Italian is wrong…well ex-cuuuuse me, I don't learn Italian or its culture. Instead of Chiavorone, the Viz Media's alternative, I'm going to use Cavallone—which I incidentally looked up and was translated as…_CLAM…_**LOL**

**Important: **Any Mary-sue-ness involved in OC is not intentional.

This will be the one and** only **super long A/N! Btw watch out for a D18 oneshot I'm starting soon.

I have dying humor, forgive me…I'm getting old.

_Pairing: DinoXOC_

Don't forget to review! AU

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

* * *

_**Quando i suini volare**_

_**(When pigs fly)**_

_**Chapter 1: Encounter with the Pig  
**_

It was roughly around ten years ago, she could vaguely remember those tender moments of her life. She couldn't fathom how much she missed those days, her two years of servitude to **him. **If she could relive those times, heaven would have meant nothing to her. Oh those joyous, unforgettable, lively memories, with the man she hated, yet loved…so passionately.

"Let me get this straight. The Cavallone family wants _me_ to join their family?"

"Have you been in any gangs lately?"

"NO. NOT EVEN ONE."

"But you're a hitman aren't you?"

"I'm just your average NOBODY"

"Well then, you should accept the offer"

Elsa de Luca, your everyday Italian girl living her life _dreaming _about being a hitman. But unfortunately, she failed to meet any of the requirements to live that dream. She wanted to be beautiful, stunning like the Poison Scorpion Bianchi, infamous and skillful like the Arcobaleno, and lastly, rich and prestigious like the Vongola family. But was she? Of course she was!—in her dreams maybe.

Mushroom chicken ravioli for breakfast, lunch and dinner; picks fights with eight year old's to make her look tough…oh she was on a role alright, and beautiful? Hardly. But stunning? When pigs fly. Her copper brown hair was cropped in a tousled fashion, half an inch too short to reach her shoulders; her eyes were a strange, deep sea blue and forever demonstrating an irate frown. Her ears were pierced, twice—no—thrice with steel studs. She wore a dirt-smeared—once white—tank top, with navy denim short-short-shorts and a tattered, black jacket. Directly on her collarbone was a tattoo with the words **Mafia **engraved…a temporary one of course. She was lanky…not lean…but lanky, kind of like a stick bug, or maybe it was just the baggy clothes.

Across her stood a prominent-looking man in a crow black suit, in his hands was an important looking document with intricate, cursive print written in perfect strokes. He looked kind of wrinkly, around forty. He tapped his black rimmed glasses and sighed heavily, his shoulders shrugged along.

"This is a joke right?" She chuckled sarcastically.

"No. The document states here…it's an official request from the Cavallone family. Look, there's a signature and trademark right **there**"

"This is a joke right?"

"You know what. Just take this, and call this number if you want to be in the mafia" He grumbled incoherently.

He turned his back and strode towards the pitch-black, classy looking car then opened the door and slammed it shut, driving off with the vroom of the engine. She stood there, a little dumbstruck and shocked. She blinked a few times then pinched herself on the arm.

"YOUCH"

_Okay, so this isn't a dream…_

Here she was standing, a girl that had been waiting for seventeen years to be accepted into the mafia. Didn't you have to at the very least _kill _someone or commit homicide on another ten or so people? Or at least go in the black market, sell drugs or be a professional belly dancer?! She had low tolerance for alcohol, her fighting skills weren't assassin-class, and whenever she tried to intimidate people they'd end up laughing at her stupid face. Oh sure she had a job, a very good job.

A professional Chicken Sexer.

No, it's not what you think.

Her job was in a chicken farm separating baby chicks according to their sex. So technically she spent seven days a week looking at chicken genitals. The pay wasn't that good either, but atleast she learnt how to tell chickens apart.

_**One week later…**_

Sigh. "In the end I still came..."

Yeah…she gave in. She was riding in a limousine with the same middle-aged man that day, on the road to her new life, her new life as a Mafioso—no more examining chicken genitals.

"Ah I forgot to mention, before you can join the Cavallone family you need to go through auditions."

"WHAT?!" She squawked.

Never mind.

"Well the boss doesn't just pick anyone"

That was great, just great. If she'd known becoming a Mafioso would involve competition then she wouldn't have come in the first place, there was no point if others were involved, because that just cut her out of the competition from stage one.

She groaned. _Too late now._

The Cavallone family were pretty famous, but because her head was stuck into books and articles about the Vongola family, her facts were limited. Although she did hear that the boss was a handsome youth called bucking-horse Dino. How old was he...um…22?

With all that added together, technically she was applying for a position in a mafia family she hardly cared about. Oh well, better make an impression while she could.

"So umm…what's your boss like?" Elsa asked awkwardly. What exactly did Mafioso talk about anyway?

"Haha boss?" The bristly-brush-moustache man burst into guffaws, "If I had to describe him in three words it'd be klutz, dim-witted, dupe."

Elsa looked at him strangely. _What…? Sounds like a pretty crap boss._

"But if I had to describe him in one word it'd be…**amazing**"

She muttered, "That's nice."

"Ah we're here"

Mouth-dropping WOW.

She peered through the glass window, her face glued against it. It was well…um…gargantuan! A mansion spread across a town of stone floor with vintage walls, windows, roofs, doors and a water fountain directly in front. Coming from a pretty pathetic hometown, she had never been able to see such a colossal house.

She gawked, "Wow…this is the Cavallone residence?!"

"Only part of it."

She twitched several times. The door was opened for her by another man in an identical suit, she stepped out of the car in her simple black shirt and long-dorky, pleaded skirt. She started to feel uneasy, walking towards a line of men-in-black and being escorted by the two buffest guys in Italy. Entering the building left her in flabbergasted awe, it was just like those American reality shows where a group of people would stay in one of those super expensive mansions with like fifty or so rooms—except ten times bigger. It sparkled—no—it flashed her eyes blind. She was led to one out of the hundred rooms, given a number plate, and then the door was slammed shut behind her.

She stumbled back in incredulity; about thirty girls were giggling and smirking at one another in this very room. Here she was in her antique-shirt and nerd-skirt, while about ninety percent of the girls were wearing branded clothing that not even celebrities could afford (the ten percent weren't really wearing much at all). Her self-esteem was being buried alive. Heck. WHAT self-esteem?!

_Shoot me. _

Some of them even grimaced at her, muttering bitchy bitch bitch words under their breath. She could have sworn she heard the word _hairy_ which was rather odd since she was a pretty damn proud, hairless girl—excluding the hair on her head.

The door suddenly swung open and a herd full of men in black scurried in and halted in front. As the last few came in, a sudden light burst from behind (well. No not really) as a tall figure emerged in front of them. A wave of whispers gushed around the room. It was him, the notorious _him_, bucking-horse Dino.

_Oh wow…smot. _Elsa blinked.

(Smot was a word for sexy and hot)

She glanced at him up and down for a moment—nothing suss. His hair was golden-blondish, messy with cowlicks everywhere; his eyes were a light brown, and heck, his lashes were long. He kind of reminded her of one of those hosts…the kind that entertains women. On the whole he was just a typical Italian hottie, nothing special. Oh what the heck, he was gorgeous.

"Nice to meet everyone," He spoke with a suave grin, "I'm Dino, tenth generation boss of the Cavallone family"

The moment he spoke, it was already a fact to her that he had unbelievable charm…why?

Because she was possibly falling for him.

Oh the bitter irony.

Yep. She skipped straight to the point. But Elsa had always been a sucker for good-looking boys, she couldn't talk to them, as a result, she fell in love with them very often and never confessed, so she was an expert at feeling unrequited love, meaning her little blush for meant nothing. She looked around her; she wasn't the only one going gaga. It made her feel sick to see a number of them licking their lips as if he were a chocolate sundae. She shuddered.

"When we call your number, I want you to describe the Cavallone boss in four words" One of the MIB (Men in black) said, "The most impressive response wins"

That was simple enough.

As each of the girls were called one at a time, it wasn't a surprise each of them replied almost the same thing, some _attempted _to make their flattery sound more unique with mumbo-jumbo made up words, but in the end they all received the same reply.

"Cool, smart…blonde…and um…smart?"

"Next."

"Sexy. Hot. _Delicious_…and **frustrated**"

"…uh huh…next."

"Pretty, huggable…lovely and cute."

"…next."

"Exquisiteness, magnetize, unadulterated and antidisestablishmentarianism"

"NEXT."

Elsa took a step forward. She scanned the glaring eyes of the men beside Mr. Pretty boy. She looked at him up and down, searching for the right words. Then it came to her, the perfect combination, with a little plagiarism.

She took a breath in.

"Klutz."

Their eyes shot up.

"Dim-witted…"

"…Dupe." She ended, then pointed rudely with her index finger towards Dino, "But if I had to describe him in one word, it'd be **amazing**."

"I like her." The men chanted at once.

Okay, plagiarism was sometimes a good thing.

Immediately after her success, the rest of the dupes where catered—or kicked—out the main house throwing fits on the way. Elsa was left awkwardly in the room with Dino, something she didn't expect to happen so soon. There was a good distance between them, but a few quick strides from Dino had covered it up within seconds. She stared at him, a little nauseated from his pretty face. Obvious muffled whispers from his henchmen could be heard from behind the door. Now why would they be spying on them?

"Umm…Hi...boss…?" She offered her hand nervously, averting his gaze.

"What's you're name?"

She flinched.

"E-Elsa…de Luca" She replied shakily.

"And how old are you?" He glared at her intensely.

She was getting a little freaked out.

"I'm 17."

"What?!" His shocked expression surprised her. She didn't think he'd be capable of such emotions, he sighed heavily, scratching his head as if she were a problem, "I guess I shouldn't judge the age…it's the inside that counts…"

"Am I in your mafia posse or what?" She scoffed, getting a little frustrated.

His eyes turned to her, she twitched a little, feeling a little uncomfortable. He twirled a glistening object in his fingers and abruptly took her left hand into his. He slipped the ring on the unmentionable finger.

She fell on the floor, "W-What the hell are you doing?!"

He looked at her with puzzled blinks, "I'm formally accepting you Elsa…"

She twitched furiously.

"…as the Cavallone family boss' fiancée, Isn't that what you came here for?" He grinned.

"WHEN PIGS FLY." She barked.

Poor Elsa was never told that from the start.


	2. When The Pig Gets To Know The Hen

_Disclaimer- Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's._

Hey thanks everyone for the overwhelming response I got for the first chapter, I sent review replies for the first chapter to show my gratitude, sorry if I missed you. I'd be too lazy for the rest of the chapters LOL, but keep reading! This chapter just has them getting to know each other a little more, no major bits.

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

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_**Chapter 2**_

_**When the Pig gets to know the Hen**_

The sun's blazing rays irritated her eyes this early morning. She sat up on her bed in a daze, ready to pick out a couple of chickens to examine as she would usually do. She had a strange dream that night, a pig with blonde disorderly hair had proposed to her while she was refilling seeds for the hens. She shuddered at the thought—that was mortally impossible. Though, just incase, her eyes ventured to her right hand with curiosity.

"Cheh…" She scoffed at herself, then glanced at her left hand, "…Don't be stupid—"

She shrieked in horror. What in Vongola's name was this **thing **on her finger?! I-It was silver…a-and shiny.

Loud footsteps could be heard thumping along the corridor. The door flung open with a loud bang.

"WHAT'S WRONG ELS?!" The familiar blonde mop of hair glowed in front of her.

Els? She scratched her head furiously, and then gave a scrutinizing look at **him**, he looked back at her perplexingly. Was she missing something? She patted around her queen sized bed curiously…wait…she didn't own a queen sized bed; she slept on the freakin floor! She scanned her surroundings, the room was vast and traditional, blood red curtains with a maroon carpet and a wooden dressing table at the other end. Ah, that was right, she'd just been forced unconditionally into the Cavallone family without say. Well, I guess it was partially her fault for not digging deeper into the terms and conditions—everything had terms and conditions nowadays. It felt kind of like an arranged marriage, except she mistakably decided on her own will to enter the agreement.

"T-Tell me what happened again…" She wavered.

Dino flashed a suave smile at her, "You were engaged to me just yesterday."

Something about his smile told her he was against it as much as she was.

"BUT IT WAS A MISTAKE! And it's EL-SA." She hollered with puckered brows.

He sighed as if he'd been through the same conversation twice, "I told you I couldn't do anything about it."

"But don't you think it's kind of like a pedophile and a sweet innocent young girl?"

He gulped a little, "Uhh…It's only five years..."

She looked at him with a fraught expression, "Isn't there _anything _you could do…"

He flinched a little at the comment. Sure, she knew it would hurt him, but what could she do? She didn't want to be betrothed to a complete stranger! Okay he was kind of good-looking, seemed nice, prestigious, wealthy, strong…so on.

She frowned "Aren't you annoyed at this too?"

"Well the Cavallone family needs an heir, and my men suggested it. If my men like you then I do too…even though you called me a dim-witted dupe…" He chuckled with light humor, but to be honest it sounded like he was completely disappointed.

_Well I'm __**not**__ sorry I'm not as drop-dead-gorgeous your blonde mop._

She grunted at his response, "Heir? Who said I was sleeping with you…"

If only he knew those very words were completely plagiarized from the bristly-brush man.

Her eyes traced over his left arm, left bare from his black shirt. Artistic patterns were imprinted in his light skin, the tendons of his muscles tensed at little at her gaze. It was quite an—err—dramatic tattoo with a creepy shadowy horse rearing up. The tattoo ran up his arm up and touched onto his collar bone. For a moment she had an unforgivable thought of his topless torso—sweaty and muscular…yummy. The blood built up in her nose, she flushed a bright red. Damn those hormones.

"Well, I'll give you a tour, get changed." He grinned.

Urgh, what a turn off. She was kind of getting annoyed with his constant smiling, it made her shudder to know there was even someone as easygoing as him. She liked attitude, someone a little more…cold. She pulled out a simple pair of pants and held it in front of her.

"You're not wearing **that,**" He shook his head. He pointed behind her on the dressing table, "I've prepared something else for you."

He eyes craned to the side. Her mouth gaped open in idyllic awe. There, sitting on the chair, facing her as if it were chanting 'cuddle-me-elmo' was a dazzling eye-popping women's suit. She crawled towards it and hissed with excitement. She stroked it with her fingers and checked the tag. Her eyes bulged with joy written all over her face.

"GALVIN BLIND!" She yelped, rubbing the soft material against her cheeks. She'd always wanted a Galvin Blind branded suit, since her fascination with the mafia she regarded suits as…gold in a way. It clearly showed how mature she was.

Dino looked at her in disbelief…no…hilarity; the sight reminded him of a cat rubbing against a tree. Did they even do that?

After five minutes of embracing and stroking the now-crinkled suit, she froze in realization that she was acting like a complete tard. She stood up and turned to his shocked expression. She grinned feebly, then straightened up, dropping the precious object on the bed. This had definitely stained her bad-girl image, if she even had one in the first place.

He looked at her with interest and then burst out laughing, "You're a funny one!"

"S-S-Shut up…" She stammered, "Get out and let me change…"

So much for _thank you_?

He walked out with a permanent grin painted on his lips. Yesterday's infatuation with him had melted into a dislike. He was irritating, like a child, she wasn't surprised he hadn't found himself a girl yet, his suave grin really ticked her off to the point of grimacing every time she saw it. She froze…

_Ingenious. I hate my own fiancé._

It may be the first smot Italian that she had failed to fall for, but somehow she was proud of it. With her conceited mind, she thought may be acting the role as a prestigious mafia boss' fiancée wouldn't be so bad after all, she could always suck the money out of him until she was satisfied and then make a run for it before the wedding day. She chuckled at her _ingenious _plan.

She stripped the clothes she'd worn from yesterday and slipped on the body hugging suit. It was unbelievably comforting and smooth, the collar shirt felt cooling against her skin and instead of a butt-hugging skirt, she had been conveniently provided with shorts instead, which had a unique look to it—well she liked shorts. There was only one problem, she couldn't tie a tie. Lacking concern about such a trivial matter, she tied a knot instead, which flopped out like a—yeah never mind. She took a quick glance at her most hated enemy—the dreaded mirror. The reflection of a lanky girl in a classy suit stared back at her. She grumbled, then headed out the door. Why did she even take such a risk?

She hoped the pretty boy had left an attendant to cater her, but to her dismay, Dino was still waiting beside the door with his suave grin. She looked at him incredulously. He studied her up and down, then chuckled, "It looks good on you."

She turned away from him.

"Stand still." He suddenly leaned towards her, his breathe brushed across her face, and she gasped.

**WHACK. **

POTS AND PANS**. **

_**CRACK.**_

He suddenly dropped to his knees, in teary, excruciating, nut-cracking, butt-whacking, hair-plucking, nipple-cripple-twisting, throbbing _**PAIN**_.

He pressed his back against the wall, sweating feverishly as he did. He remained like that for a long while.

"D-DON'T TOUCH ME…OR…I-I'll GET MY MOM TO BASH YOU!" She yelled in a hostile voice.

He leaned onto the wall for support as he stumbled, trying to stand properly, "Ouch…I just wanted to fix your tie…"

"S-S-SORRY…I thought you were gonna—" Elsa uttered contritely, guilt-ridden by her actions. Although she had to admit she was a little pleased with her reflexes.

It sure wasn't a romantic first experience for the newly engaged couple, usually in typical lovey-dovey googoo dramas, the girl would trip and fall into the guy's arms, gazing at each other lovingly, which was irrevocably _stupid_. She sure had a wild kick, really could have permanently prevented him from having babies. She helped him up and tugged her tie off.

"Maybe I just shouldn't wear this…" She shoved it in her pocket with a frown.

The same MIB with the bristly moustache appeared before them, "Boss, the breakfast is ready."

"YOU—"Elsa growled.

"This is Romario, my right-hand man." He cut her off.

The damn traitor, she thought, definitely did not deserve a smile. His call-if-you-want-to-join-the-mafia scam had cost her job as a chicken sexer and dream as a Mafioso or Hitman! And she had a hunch his four impressive words were intentionally given to her. She pouted at him. That was the last time she'd ever believe a shady looking man. Yes, it proved how stupid she was.

"Boss was telling me all yesterday how happy he was just meeting you."

Dino flushed, "ROMARIO!"

Elsa twitched furiously. She was 10 percent sure she was standing in the main house of a prestigious mafia family, and 90 percent sure she was in a mental hospital. No, make that 99 percent.

Her stomach grumbled loudly.

_**One hour later…**_

Oh the satisfaction of eating an A-Class meal. Her stomach tightened in her Galvin Blind suit. If she happened to take another bite, her bulging belly would've surely popped out in an un-fashionable way which would surely have led to the canceling of her engagement which she'd recently decided to keep. She couldn't help it, food was like her lover, an irreplaceable significant other—sorry Dino. She had stuffed in five loafs of Rye bread, half a Roast Chicken, two plates of Lasagna, three bowls of Gnocchi, two whole Pizzas, one plate of Carbonara Pasta, one plate of Spaghetti Bolognese and full pot of Mushroom Soup. She slouched in her chair with a relieving sigh; she had an infuriating urge to undo her suit, but unfortunately it beat her to it and unbuttoned itself instead.

Her bulging belly had caused on of the buttons to fly into Dino's Mushroom soup. With a flick, it raced freely in the air until it somersaulted in with a bloop noise.

Dino, sitting beside her on the long table just stared at his soup with a rather astonished expression. He blinked a couple of times, not knowing what to say.

His men surrounding the rest of the table burst into guffaws at the awkward moment.

"I LOVE THIS GIRL!" One snorted.

"She reminds me of my…err…ME!"

If it were possible to revert time, she would have done it, even if she had to look at chicken private parts for the rest of her life. Her face flushed with humiliation, she presumed Dino probably thought she was a rude, sour-faced, stuck-up, plain, piggish girl with an attitude. She stared down at her twiddling fingers.

"I'll erm…get you another bowl…" She mumbled.

_Nice. REEEAAAL nice._

**xxxx**

For the rest of the day, Dino had spent his precious time explaining the twists and turns in the mansion, with two of his men following behind. Elsa's head had been filled with rocks by the end of the tour; it had taken approximately 6 hours and 54 minutes to complete the entire mansion and she was 99 percent sure it would all just come to a waste. She told him earlier during the tour not to bother with the outer residence, and from the looks of his reaction, he seemed rather relieved. It wasn't like she'd remember anything anyway with that wee-pea-brain of hers. It had her thinking whether she really wanted to stay here, even if she really did plan to make a run for it at the end.

He offered to walk her back to her room, knowing she'd get lost. By the time they'd reached their destination, the two men had left.

"Els, you have to attend a formal mafia party with me tomorrow" He suddenly spoke, smiling his suave smile again. She really didn't like being called that.

"F-Formal party…?" She stuttered. The thought of a bunch of rich twits clustered in a mansion together, with wine cups filled with apple or cranberry juice and haughty flaring nostrils really didn't appeal to her. But of course she couldn't say that.

"…will there be dancing?"

"Erm…probably?"

She hesitated for a moment, then gave him an I-can't-dance-for-Godzilla's-life look, which was half-true.

"Don't worry, you don't have to." He chuckled, "Just pick out something from the dressing room"

Now _that_…she **liked**.

A personal dressing room for herself with branded clothing…it was almost as yummy as picturing Dino's topless body.

"Where is it?" She asked, with an imaginary tail wagging excitedly at her rear.

He gestured for her to follow him to the room next door, but as he reached for the knob, he unexpectedly fell face flat on the floor with a loud thud. She jumped in fright. What the heck?

"Ow ow ow…" He sat up, rubbing his head.

"Erm…are you alright?" She blinked. She could have sworn there was nothing on the floor for him to trip over. But who could be as stupid enough to trip over their own feet at the age of 22.

"Ow…Yea, just stumbled a little" He muttered with a slight flush on his cheeks.

She looked at him suspiciously, but brushed it off shortly after. She helped him up, a haughty smile played on her lips, as if to purposely mock him.

His phone abruptly rang and he answered it with a quick flick. Muffled voices could be faintly heard. Dino nodded.

"Hey, take your time choosing, I've got to go now, urgent business. I'll come get you tomorrow morning" He smiled _again_. It was probably the three hundredth time today.

She almost grunted "Ah…Yeah go ahead."

As he quickly dashed off, he fell flat onto the floor once again.

She just stared at him.

He picked himself up and made a turn down the stairs. She heard a number of whams and bangs as well as an ending crash, then a sudden moan in pain. Elsa scratched her head furiously.

_I'll definitely be gone by the end of the year._

And this, dear readers, was only the _beginning_ of their troubles.

...........

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Galvin Blind – Calvin Klein


	3. Party For The Pig And Hen

_Disclaimer- Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's._

Take your time reading this chapter. Take it slowly.

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

* * *

_**Chapter 3  
**_

_**Party for the Pig and Hen**_

No doubt Elsa had spent almost three hours standing in the closet. Right after Dino had left her to settle on the perfect outfit yesterday evening, she spent the whole night just standing there without a clue, and even after a hot morning shower the very next day, it was virtually impossible to decide on what to wear, and knowing her fashion knowledge was as good as a cow's didn't help. She scratched her head furiously. Sure, she knew the best brands, but good brands didn't always have fabulous-looking clothes. Blah.

She rummaged deeper into the strange dresses, some were a bit…well…outrageously butt-ugly—not that she realized. Fairy wings, Barney the Dinosaur, Sailor Moon and even Hannah-freakin-Montanna dresses were on the rack. She dug deeper and deeper, bits of lint rubbed into her hair. Finally, she hauled herself out from the clustered clothes with what seemed to be a potato-sack in her hands. She raised an eyebrow as she stared at the supposedly—to her—alright-looking dress. It was sown with a murky brown cloth, the stitching intentionally flying around like cowlicks. The two thin straps appeared to be made from straw, and the word _RuckSack _was stitched at the waist. Well, to sum it up, the dress was erm…well…**horrendous**. It was just too bizarre that a dress as ugly as this was even created, and it was even more bizarre that Elsa had chosen it.

She peered at the tag inside the repulsive thing.

"G-G-G-G…GoodCheese…" She murmured, her lips wavering with shock, "GOODCHEESE, OH MY GOD!"

She embraced the branded dress in her arms. Honestly this would probably happen with every branded thing she saw.

Satisfied with her erm…potato sack…she headed back into her room and dumped it on her bedside. She glanced at the hi-tech digital clock on the dressing table—five pm, she had exactly an hour until Romario would come to pick her up. Sighing heavily, she grabbed the dress again, stripped her day clothes off and slid it on.

Urgh.

ITCHY.

"GAH." She scratched her back restlessly. Wasn't this just made from normal cotton or whatever?! It can't _literally_ be an actual potato sack!

She scratched for a little longer; the itching finally ceased. Ahh…the relief.

Elsa walked over to the dressing table. Sitting down, she pulled one of the drawers open and took out a small leather bag and unzipped it. A bunch of shiny sticks and tubes rolled out abruptly. She looked at them, completely clueless.

_Geh. I've never put make up on before…how do people do this…_

She picked up one of the sticks and pulled it apart with a click. Satin black liquid oozed from the petite brush that came out, it glistened slightly in the light. Elsa stared at it curiously, examining it from tip to end. What the heck was this thing for? The tiny gold word 'mascara' was engraved on the lid. Ahhhhh, maybe it was one of those things that made your eyelids look powdery and pretty.

_This must be the dark one._

Exploring around with it, she dabbed the bristly brush onto her eyelids. It was rather painful—well actually it was _really _painful. Her eyes were being pricked as she painted a thick coat of the liquid. When the painful process was done, she moved onto the next stick. This time it was thinner, longer and looked exactly like a blue colouring pencil. She stared at it again.

_Oh…it must be lipstick._

She yanked the lid off and began drawing blue lines over her soft lips. She coloured over them furiously until every inch has been sheathed in blue. Proud of her first attempt using make up, she glanced up at the mirror, a horrific-looking girl stared back. A face like that could scared Muhammad Ali off the earth! Passive towards her frightening appearance, she heard a light knock on the door. Elsa walked over quickly, opening it widely.

"Madam, are you ready to—HOLY MOTHER OF GOD WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOU?!" Romario jumped in absolute horror.

"What?" She asked sharply.

"W-What in Cavallone's name is on your eyes?!"

"Mascara. Isn't that what you put on your eyelids?"

He stared at her in disbelief, "And your lips?"

"Lipstick. What else?" She snorted. He just didn't appreciate her skills.

He bit his lip anxiously, then glanced at her attire.

"_Dio mio_! What are you wearing...?!"

"_Chiedo scusa_? It's a GoodCheese dress. What's wrong with it?" Her eyebrows puckered downwards.

He glanced at the clock frantically, sweat pouring down his face in anxiety. He sighed heavily, then abruptly grabbed her arm.

"There's no time! You're the guest of honor." He dragged her out of the mansion and hurriedly gestured for her to step in the car.

"Guest of honor?!" She cried out.

Romario was fidgeting restlessly, "Yes yes, you're announcing your engagement to the entire Cavallone family, get in."

Her mouth gaped open, "ANNOUNCING?!"

Unable to wait for her to finish babbling about her non-existing rights, he shoved her in the back seat of the car and slammed the door shut. They drove off in an instance, the engine roaring as they sped out the elongated driveway.

"That son of a bitch didn't tell me anything about this!" She cursed, crossing her arms irately.

"Here take this and wipe the make-up off!" He handed her a wet cloth.

"What? Why? It was hard work caking this stuff on!"

"Madam. Please."

Elsa sighed, and wiped her face slowly. Did it really look _that _bad? She thought it looked rather nice. It kind of gave her a tormented look, like she was a real bad-ass rogue that picked fights—cheh, yeah right. She swirled the damp cloth around the rings of her eyes and rubbed her lips rigorously until the blue had stained it completely. She plopped it beside her and turned towards the grey-tinted windows. She looked out in fascination, and realized she was in the bustling streets of the city. Hey eyes dilated in admiration, she had never been in the big city before, let alone a city most likely being controlled by the Cavallone family. Shops were positioned in a single file, the vintage buildings clumped beside one another. A bridge hovered over a narrow river. It reminded her of Venice, a water paradise where she'd love to visit but never could. Her hometown was nothing compared to these cities.

"We're here Madam." The car pulled up alongside another fifty or so, all predictably expensive brands, probably even bullet proof.

Elsa slipped into a pair of 3-inch stilettos and stumbled out the car unwillingly. A hand caught her just before she could fall.

She jerked her head up, "Erm..thank—oh it's just you."

"What is that suppose to me?" Dino demanded. He was fitted in a black suit, although it was plain, it still looked gorgeous on him—as usual.

However, Elsa was unfazed by this, "You didn't tell me I had to stand in front of a full family of mafia and announce an engagement!"

He stepped back and smiled feebly, raising his arms defensively, "Hey, I didn't know either."

She grunted, and then pulled his face close to hers, their foreheads knocked with much force. She grinded her teeth agitatedly and glared at him angrily.

"Listen you. If I embarrass myself in front of these people it'll be _**your**_** fault**." She growled in a hostile tone, her nostrils flaring with rage.

He gave a soft 'EEP' then nodded his head briskly with agreement. Man, she was one freakin scary girl. Dino contemplated that asking about the potato-sack-dress was a bad idea, even though it looked rather…butt-ugly.

She linked onto his arm grudgingly and rather hatefully and allowed him to lead her into what seemed to be an enormous ballroom.

_Urgh. Dancing._

She started having doubts about liking the mafia, it wasn't what she expected—well, in her position at least. She'd much rather be stealthily moving around in bloody-action than sitting at home staring at pots and pans until her mop-headed husband came home.

As the doors opened for her grand entrance, eyes wandered in her direction, and she could have sworn she heard wine glasses crashing on the floor—that was odd. There was an eruption of gasps as Dino leaned in and whispered into her ear.

"I'll do the talking."

"All yours Bucking-horse." She whispered back ungratefully.

He sighed at her coldness, and then began chattering to the crowd about the ten commandments of Cosa Nostra and pride as the Cavallone family. She remained silent for the entire speech, nearly at the verge of yawning, but she somehow restrained it. Dino had then finally announced his engagement to her in the utter most formal way possible. It sounded almost like a political marriage. She felt kind of bad halfway, knowing she'd already planned to ditch him before the wedding day.

"What's her name, boss?" A man asked.

Dino's faced turned to her, edging for her reply.

She flashed a sinister smile back at him, assuring him of her disdain. "Elsa de Luca, I'm 17."

"17? A bit young. How did you come to meet the boss?" More questions were thrown at her.

She looked at Dino, who looked back at her. From the audience's perspective it looked as if they were gazing lovingly at one another, obviously that wasn't the case, however. She trampled on his foot with the heel of her stiletto.

"OW!" He cried out.

The people just stared at him with 'what the eff' expressions.

"W-We met in Venice…" He stammered in shocking pain.

She snorted. _Yeah, right._

The crowd muttered softly to one another at the reply. They separated shortly after without a second glance.

As Elsa made her way to the table filled with food, she piled her plate with enormous servings of what seemed to be caviar. Expensive food always tasted good, so she stuffed herself carelessly in the middle of the ballroom.

"Dear me. Is she really Dino's fiancée?" An obvious mutter from a group of women could be heard.

"That dress is **ghastly. **Isn't that GoodCheese's biggest failure from last year?"

"Tut tut. And she has no make-up on. Fancy showing up at such an important party with a face like that."

"I think Dino could've done better. With me."

Chirping giggles erupted as they bitched loudly at the other end of the food-filled table.

Elsa grimaced. She placed her empty plate down, having lost her appetite. She didn't think her appearance was bad to this point. Her self esteem plummeted to a minus. She walked her way over to the vast staircase and headed up quietly without notice. She stumbled every now and then, the stilettos were covering her feet with faded red blisters. As she reached halfway up the stairs, she spotted Dino walking in the corridor at the other end with a striking woman beside him. Her long golden locks swayed down her back as they disappeared at a turn. Elsa fiddled with a strand of her fairly short hair. Beauty had never been her forte.

Out of curiosity, she decided to follow them. There wasn't any harm in that now was there? Besides, she was without doubt his fiancée. She crept in the hallway, the heels of her stilettos clacking softly with every step. She hid behind a wall and peered down the corridor.

There was no one in sight.

She crawled passed the doors, until she'd suddenly knocked on a tall vase causing it to topple over. She grabbed it before it could fall and hugged it against her body with desperate pants. She leaned against the wall, her heart thumping wildly. Now what the heck was she supposed to do?! If anyone saw her like this, she'd definitely be a laughing stock. Not like she wasn't one already.

Muffled voices could be heard from behind the door beside her. "Ahh…nn…yeah."

She hit her head against the vase in surprise.

"Oh yes…nn…YES…"

**WHAT THE EFF?!**

She shuffled herself to the right and pinned her ear against the door.

"This feels _so_ good…AH!"

OH MY EFFIN GOD.

WAS DINO DOING THE DEED IN THIS ROOM WITH THAT GIRL?!

Elsa bit her lip. Her face ripened a crimson red of awkwardness. She shifted back in front of the wall to avoid eavesdropping. She didn't really care who he slept with, but the fact the deed was being done during an all-important _**engagement party**_ was kind of ironic. All smot men were players after all, it wasn't unexpected. Who'd even heard of a notorious, powerful, rich and good-looking man being a virgin? Haw.

The moaning and cries of pleasure grew louder, and Elsa was stuck with a heavy vase in her arms unable to lift it back up. Her face grew hotter, so she tried to block out the noise with images of chickens…lovely, fluffy chickens and their genitals—that didn't work. And to make matters worse, she started to feel itchy again. He moved around restlessly in her confined position, the itchiness was killing her. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps could be heard from along the corridor. Her ears perked up as she struggled to crane her head to the side.

"Hahh…?" It was Dino.

He spotted her confined body under the heavy vase. His eyes widened with surprise, and he ran over to her rescue. He lifted it up with ease and positioned it carefully on the marble floor. Elsa gasped with relief; she clung onto his shirt and pulled herself up. She started scratching her back like mad, and then sighed.

"What were you doing?"

"N-Nothing!" She growled, humiliated by her suspicions. She didn't like being wrong.

He looked at her perplexedly.

"Sorr—" She bit her lip, unable to admit she was wrong. "—Cheh. Nevermind."

He just blinked.

"OH YES!" The moaning continued.

Dino blushed. Whoever was in there sure had no sense of shame. They hustled out the corridor before they could hear anymore.

When they'd gone back to the party in the most hidden way possible, Dino decided that staying with her was the best initiative. She didn't particularly like it, but then again, she didn't particularly like much at all…

When she'd really looked around, she realized a lot of the men had gone. Particularly Dino's henchmen. That was odd. She probed around a little more.

"ACK!"

Elsa looked to her left. She gaped in disbelief at her fiancé. He'd splattered his wine all over his suit, and his once white, collar shirt had turned a murky red. She cocked an eyebrow and grabbed a napkin from the table.

"You're ridiculous." She muttered, wiping the stains furiously.

An adoring smile grew on his lips. He gazed at her irritated face with puckered eyebrows. She muttered incoherent words under her breath. She wasn't perfect, she wasn't beautiful, she wasn't the smartest and yes she had a terrible sense of fashion. She wasn't very nice either. But still, why not let himself be drawn to her strangeness?

She grunted as she finished wiping the muck off his suit.

Dino offered his palm in the most gentleman way.

"Would you like to dance?"

She smiled at him.

"No."

"..."

* * *

GoodCheese – Gucci

_Dio mio!_ – Oh my god!

_Chiedo scusa _– I beg your pardon.


	4. How A Mafia War Begins

_Disclaimer- Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. _

_Disclaimer - And just for this chapter I do NOT own Giorgio Armani whatsoever OR Burberry OR the original Calvin Klein and its perfume fragrance ckfree…_yes not Galvin Blind haha.

Oh school started for me, so updates slower. I don't plan on abandoning this fanfic.

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

* * *

_**Chapter 4  
**_

_**How a Mafia War Begin**_

It had been two weeks since Elsa had become the legal fiancée of the Cavallone mafia family's boss, Dino. Life after the engagement party was much better, as she'd been showered with gifts and new heck-expensive stuff every morning, and Romario was at the verge of giving her permission to _finally_ leave the mansion out in the public eye. Of course she didn't expect to be walking about alone; probably three or so bodyguards would've been assigned to walk around with her. Well, as long as she got to spend Dino's money…no biggie.

"Fufu…life is so great as a dim-witted dupe's fiancée…" She whistled blissfully whilst brushing the lint off the sleeve of her Galvin Blind suit. She'd grown attached to her very first gift from Dino, and couldn't bear to wear such a delicate masterpiece. Ah…life couldn't get any better—

The door swung open with a loud slam. "Madam, it's time for you to start your training."

Maybe she spoke too soon. After all, life was never so easy to begin with.

Elsa grumbled incoherently and muttered gibberish under her breath. She gently laid the suit on the quilt of her bed, stroking it softly as if it were a cat. Yes, she loved it that much.

Her eyes shot at Romario icily. He brushed it off with ease; he'd seemed to have gotten use to her pathetic daily glaring.

"We need you to look after Boss at a dinner party."

"Hahh?" She cocked an eyebrow at him stupidly. Why the barney-the-dinosaur would a goddamn **mafia boss **need babysitting? Sure he was the biggest idiot, but not mentally retarded. Right?

"You see, the Vendetta family wants to offer their daughter to Boss as an act of strengthening our alliance. And they want a friendly dinner, so we're restricted from going in the Vendetta mansion. Also they know nothing about the engagement, so I need you to make it official to them and keep Boss from embarrassing himself while we'll wait at the sidelines."

Oh no…more bitchy-bitch-bitch women and rich men with tight-buttocks and their cranberry juice wine glasses. Maybe she could start a fight.

"So do I um…feed him or something…?"

His slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand in disbelief. "No. Just come down. Get ready."

Was that a yes? She thought. He closed the door without another word. Well she guessed it would make their relationship a little more convincing…or retarded.

She slopped on a pair of cargos with a black tank top, and ran her fingers through her hair once—this to her…was _ready_. She exited her room and frowned at Romario's astonished expression.

"What?" She grunted. It wasn't like make-up was a daily essential to her life, and it was so unnecessary to wear a branded dress every-freakin-where she went—INDOORS. She slipped into a pair of sneakers and trotted down twenty or so files of stairs. She stormed in the dining room ungratefully, only to see the familiar suave smile run across the familiar mop-head's lips in a polite manner. She was about to seat herself ten meters across him until one of his men lifted her by the arm. He shook his head disapprovingly and pointed at the seat beside Dino. She sighed, then dragged herself to the other end and plopped herself in the chair disdainfully.

"Yo. Morning." He greeted with his usually care-free aura.

"Morning…" She snorted in reply.

His face dropped at her reaction, his smile turned half-hearted. Realizing her mistake, she awkwardly placed her hand on his shoulder with reassurance.

His men left the room abruptly, leaving a butler standing beside Elsa with a tablecloth hung over his arm. He placed what seemed to be a plate of lasagna in front if Dino and cleared his throat as if making an announcement. She stared at the sloppy thing with melted cheese oozing off it. He placed another in front of Elsa.

The butler whispered into her ear, "Ahem, as I will demonstrate to you now, Master's clumsy habits without his men."

_Can't be that bad._

"Please enjoy your meal."

With an every now and then glance towards Dino's direction, she spooned her food with no appetite as the klutz-magic began to ensue right before her eyes. Melted cheese was sprawled across the table with red sauce painted around his plate, it looked as if someone had just filled a spray-can with tomato sauce and attempted to spray the table red. What made the scene even more bizarre was that he was knocking his elbows on the side of the table and dropping his fork every five or so seconds. He was like a little 3 year old trying to feed himself for the first time. She was sure a dog was even cleaner than this.

Pang. "Oops!"

His fork dropped a tenth time. Elsa was mortified to the point of fainting. She slammed the table with her fists and stood up abruptly. Dino jumped, startled.

"RIGHT. I GET IT ALREADY. I'LL HELP OUT." She bellowed.

"Huh?" Dino looked at her with a puzzled expression.

The butler handed her a napkin and bowed to her with absolute gratitude, "Do please."

**xxxx**

"Dino you are the biggest klutz. You know that?"

He just chuckled with light humor, "My men are just making fun of me"

Sigh. He really didn't get it.

Tonight, she had not chosen her outfit, but rather, Romario had. Tonight, she had been forced into a long, white coat, black collar shirt, gray pants, black pumps and a white tie. All courtesy of Burberry and the elegance of their clothing designs. Tonight, she did not look exquisitely beautiful, wonderfully pretty or uber cute—but she looked graceful and handsome. It was not something a girl in Italy would usually want, to look as handsome as a man, but it was better than wearing a potato sack or a pink tutu. It matched her, yes, and she quite liked it, a tomboy outfit that was very comfortable. If she'd tie her hair up or worn a hat she would've looked a hundred percent like a young boy. Though, with Dino's more physique body beside her it slashed out all possibility of her manliness. This time, he was in a similar outfit to hers, a white Giorgio Armani suit and black collar shirt—two buttons off.

_Ah…eye candy_. She thought, with an itching temptation to stare. Can't blame her.

Elsa once again unwillingly linked her arm around his as they headed in the mansion with slow strides. She remembered just before she'd left for the dinner, Romario had sparked her determination to keep her position as Dino's fiancée. You can guess what he said.

"_Before you go tonight."_

"_Yeah?"_

"_I should just let you know one more thing…" _

"…_yes?"_

"_The wife of the Cavallone boss…"_

"_Uh huh?"_

"… _owns half the estate."_

_She fainted._

You see what I mean? Money is like food. An essential. YOU NEED IT.

Elsa was now fully loaded and charged. She would beat the crap out of this Vendetta, Benedetta, Genitalbutter or whatever family and shove a stick up this girl who dared to snatch what rightfully belonged to **ELSA DE LUCA**—Dino's property. It was all hers! Smot guy and mansion. They stepped into the large dining hall, although it was big, it was still nothing compared to the Cavallone's. Her eyebrows puckered into an arrogant frown, her arm tightened around Dino's securely, and they strode their way to the elongated table. They were seated by the butlers, Dino at the very end, Elsa on one side and a familiar pale-skinned woman on the other. Hm, who was this very familiar woman…those golden locks…oh right, the girl that was with Dino at the engagement party—funny—if she knew he was engaged why put on this marriage offer? Elsa glanced over at her, the women smirked back. Grr, this was war.

"_Benevuta _Dino, please make yourself at home. That beside you is my daughter Lascia, beautiful isn't she?" A buff man with balding hair hidden with a black hat spoke. A cigar rested in between his lips, the smoke danced in the air. Elsa squinted a little, noticing a big hairy mole above his lips. Yuck.

Lascia gave a sweet-fake-oh-so-fugly-in-the-inside smile at Dino. He merely smiled back and turned away.

. Suck on that.

"I've come today to reject this proposal…" Dino's formality surprised Elsa. She didn't like this rich-formal tone of his, it was so…blah. "As you can see, I am here with my fiancée."

The Vendetta boss merely huffed rudely at her, but shortly regained his business face with a snooty grin. Really, was Dino the only good-looking mafia boss in Italy or something? Oh the Vongola were alright…but other than that all the other mafia families seemed to have fat-ass porks as the Big-Daddy.

"Hmm, handsome she is. Truly handsome. What's her name?"

Before Dino could answer, Elsa trampled a heel on his toe—again. He _almost _squealed in pain, but bit his lip instead. Youch.

Elsa spoke haughtily. She did not smile or nod politely, instead she awkwardly wrapped her arms around Dino's neck, surprised at her own actions. The distance between their cheeks gave an artificial look to her attempted intimacy, it kind of looked like a wife strangling her husband while screaming for divorce. She stuttered, "Elsa de Luca. H-His beloved fiancée."

Pif. When pigs fly.

Dino felt rather…afraid of this acting-for-profit-Elsa—well, crappy acting. She trod on his foot once more, urging him to do something. You know, Dino might even be better off with the Vendetta family's daughter. At least he'd be free from death threats from a scary-ass girl that didn't even like him. No, really.

"An elegant name." Was the Mole-face's muffled reply.

Ack it felt so gross, and Dino was too clueless to do anything. She pushed him away abruptly, that really blew it. Lascia smirked wryly at her and chuckled with a mocking tone.

"Yes, truly in love." She rolled her eyes.

Seeing the plan fail, Elsa slumped down in her chair. She waved goodbye to the Cavallone fortune in her head. Why was it so hard to act like a lover? She saw it on television soapies all the time. Well then again that was probably because half the actors were enjoying it.

Dino glanced at her grimacing face. At least she tried, although failing miserably. Surprisingly, he took her hand into his, their fingers entwined like a couple. He placed their hands on the table, an obvious act to show their commitment. As a reaction, Elsa went stiff, she'd never held the hand of a man before, let a lot an uber smot one. It felt all soft, warm…and kind of squishy? Nah, more big and hairy, or maybe sweaty; it was hard to tell from the shock that filled her head. The entire table had turned to look at their interlocking fingers, and it wasn't a good look either, more like a look of 'damn there goes the money'. Now _that _made little miss bitch on the other side of Dino grind her teeth in fury. The silence was quite entertaining to Elsa, a point to her.

"So…" Mole-face spoke again.

What a party-pooper.

His eyes ventured away from their hands, "…where did you two meet?"

Getting personal much? It was the second time they'd been asked that, it was always a hard question to answer. Dino decided to stick with the Venice lie.

"Venice, on a bridge." He replied simply.

_Ohh now we met on a BRIDGE aye. _Elsa scoffed, in her head of course. Such a cliché answer, she would've come up with ninjas jumping around to assassinate her and then Dino coming to her rescue on a valiant stallion in the Amazons—if that even made any sense.

"How romantic." One admired.

"Did you admire the Cavallone family?" Another asked.

"Y-Yeah, I've loved the Vongola family since I was young—I MEAN THE CAVALLONE FAMILY." Elsa bit her lip.

Crap.

But luckily, no one really payed attention.

For the next ten minutes, the table was served with mountains of food. Elsa carelessly let herself drool a little until Dino had tapped her on the shoulder and pointed it out to her. She wiped it off feeling ashamed. It was somehow odd however, that no one spoke of the proposal after Dino's daring move—even though it was just holding hands. As Dino reached for his fork, he tipped his wine glass over at an 80 degree angle, a drop of liquid spilling on the white cloth. Elsa was about to grab a plate of Salad until she spotted the now almost pouring wine under Dino's arm.

"DINO!" She barked, quickly grabbing the glass before it could topple over.

The table turned to her. She froze with his wine glass in her hand, raised in the air. Dino slouched back into his seat with an 'oh-crap' expression. She froze there for a few seconds, searching for the right words to say.

_Damn you Bucking-horse._

"Cheers…?" She muttered, humiliated.

Dino took the wine glass in front of her and raised it in the air, "Cheers."

The table resumed their dinner without further discussion. Elsa shot a deathly glare at him and trampled on his toe the third time—too bad pumps hurt less than stilettos. Telepathy messages began flying to his head, not good ones either. She placed the glass down and began nibbling on her Salad, watching his every move. Before he could even put the spoon in his mouth it fell from the tip and began diving towards his white suit. Elsa jerked her arm out frantically and flung it into her own mouth with a quick gulp. She twitched furiously while her knuckles turned a pale white. Whatever he was eating was disgusting.

"BUCKING-HORSE." She growled under her breath whilst looking down.

"Oops...sorry!" He whispered back.

The disaster just happened to begin again just as Dino knocked on his bowl of soup clumsily with his elbow. Elsa, once again, stretched her arm out and leaned across the table, making it look like it was her who spilled the soup. It fizzled on the sleeve of her coat, she was grinding her teeth, fuming. The table of people turned to her once again with rather disgusted expressions. This was her worst first-time at a mafia dinner.

_GAH!_

She snatched a napkin and began wiping vigorously. She muttered, "SO sorry, clumsy **ME**."

Dino sent her apologetic signals, but she ignored them and continued twitching restlessly. To make matters worse, Lascia had somehow managed to place her hand on Dino's lap and began chatting to him in the most hypnotizing voice she could make. Oh how fun this dinner party was. She was going to kill Dino after this—then take his money.

Seeing his uncomfortable expression, Elsa couldn't care less. She'd taken enough crap for the night, and if he didn't want to marry this vile woman, then he could take care of it himself. Elsa abruptly stood up, excusing herself, then storming off to the bathroom. She continued to wipe the stains from the soup with foaming soap, and spent the next fifteen minutes strolling around the garden. She couldn't see Dino's men around, she figured that much since they weren't even allowed to step foot in the property. She suddenly heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Why don't you ditch her for me?" The same hypnotizing voice pleaded.

"Sorry…" Who else but Dino could've answered?

"Come on, you know I'm way better than her."

_When pigs fly. _Elsa snorted.

"Err…I can't"

"She's so ugly compared to me!"

"I don't judge appearances…"

"DUDE. YOU'VE GOT A HOT GIRL STANDING IN FRONT OF YOU. JUST TAKE IT. I'M EVEN A D-CUP, SHE'S PROBABLY AN A!"

"…"

That blew it.

Elsa turned around and stormed in front of her. She pointed at her rudely growled with much rage, "HEY. I'M A PROUD B, SO DON'T GO JUDGING SIZES JUST BECAUSE I'M WEARING A COAT, AND YOURS ARE PROBABLY IMPLANTS ANYWAY."

And why was Dino even being told this?

"WHILE YOU VILE LITTLE—"

Lascia pounced on her, and they began clawing at one another in the most unbelievable way. Hair-pulling, wuss-slapping, girl-shoving and even heel-knocking, it was a surprise Elsa was not as tough as she looked. Although she managed to throw a few hard punches, she was shoved back to the ground with thump. Dino, finally snapped out of his too-much-information shock, held Elsa back with a vice-grip. Seeing this opportunity, Lascia charged in with a painful slap that grazed Elsa's cheek slightly. Dino pushed her back in absolute anger. Red liquid began oozing out slowly from the wound. Lascia thumped to the floor.

"HOW DARE YOU. I'M NOT MARRYING A GIRL-BASHER!" She screamed.

"I never planned to." He snapped.

Elsa twitched furiously, "Let me go Dino. Let me at her."

Ah the drama that goes on. Suddenly, the same mole-man had jogged out with a bunch of men behind him, his face full of fury aimed at the two. Seems he'd been spying on them the whole time.

"Consider the alliance breached!" He yelled, gesturing for his men to attack, "May this mafia war end the Cavallone family!"

A bunch of complicated guns were held out, and Elsa was terrified to the point of being petrified. Before she could make a run for it and be shot anyway, she felt her body turn and press against the hard chest of Dino. An arm was wrapped around her. The smell of CKfree fragrance whiffed through her nose, she felt dazed from the smell. It was so…manly ahh. Why was she thinking of such a thing in the middle of a mafia war.

Before she knew it, she could hear Romario's shouts and gunshots filling her ears. Now _this _was more like it. Bloody, gory and hell of a lot of action! This was truly the mafia she knew. She'd always dreamed of being in the middle of such a horror, and finally she was in it, except, the mop-head was spoiling it for her by shoving her face into his chest and using a Calvin Klein fragrance as some kind of chloroform.

"DFAMN YFOU BFUHING-FHORF!" Her muffled voice shouted.

Translation…

Damn you Bucking-horse!

So this, ladies and gentlemen, is how a mafia war begins.

* * *

_Benevuta_ - Welcome


	5. Chicken Run

_Disclaimer- Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's...DON'T OWN CHICKEN RUN THE MOVIE EITHER. _

Sorry for the downfall in the last chapter, I'd say it was disorganized due to school starting again, I've been in a pretty down mood lately but seriously that shouldn't be an excuse.

Thank you for your support guys :) I really do love re-reading reviews over and over again haha. Yes I have no life.

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

* * *

_**Chapter 5  
**_

_**Chicken Run  
**_

Last night, the Vendette family was almost completely annihilated, however, due to Dino's good-nature they were let off—lucky bastards, the ties between the two families had been completely severed, however. Mafia wars were extreme, gory, horrific, blood-filled, thrilling and enthralling; Elsa would have been able to seen one if it weren't for Dino's curmudgeon actions. Thus, she stopped talking to him for the rest of last night and this early morning.

"I said I was sorry!" As a result, Dino had been apologizing like crazy.

What made matters worse, was that although she had assured him she was absolutely fine and that the scratch she had gotten from la-bitch was nothing, he forced her to adhere a pointless, unattractive band-aid which made her even more infuriated. It made her feel weak, and Elsa de Luca _hated _weaklings—even though she was one herself.

"Els, it was for your own good."

"Cheh." She turned away from him obstinately and folded her arms.

Dino was almost at the point of giving up on her, it had only been more than a week since the engagement and yet she was already such a pain-in-the-ass. He let out a renounced sigh and frowned at the stubborn almost-woman.

"You shouldn't have hit her in the first place."

She twitched ever-so-irritably, "She POUNCED on me first!"

"That's not the point, you started something dangerous!"

"Are you calling me flat?"

Dino hesitated. What was he suppose to say to that?!

"Well, you're the ever-so-prestigious Cavallone family, so what does it matter to you?"

Thank god she changed the subject. "Big or not, some of my men were hurt!"

Elsa fell silent. She had to admit, it was her fault that Benjamin, one of Dino's men she'd gone to visit in the morning, was slashed on the arm with a butchers knife. But, it was hard to own up to such a big mistake. Besides, that woman was down-right rude, calling her an A-cup when she was obviously a B…so ridiculous.

She started again. "I-I'm not…just going to stand there and let her insult me."

…_Seriously…calling me an airplane runway._

Dino roughly held onto her shoulders, she almost flinched at his strength. There was no hint of the goofy man he was, it freaked her out. Was Dino that worried about her?

No, in reality he was just trying to get the bra-sizes out of his head.

"What was I supposed to do?"

_DEFEND ME MAYBE?!_

"Nothing, you didn't need to do anything, you and I have no relationship whatsoever!" She snapped, and shoved his clutching arms away, "Maybe you should go back, apologize, and marry her instead!"

She stormed out his office and slammed the door with a deafening bang, marching down the hallway with furious vibes following her every step. Geez, touchy.

"Boss…should I go after her? You haven't told her about **that** yet. " Romario bit his lip rather nervously since he _was _the reason they were erm…together…in the first place. Maybe picking Elsa was a big mistake.

"Forget it, I'll go tell her."

_Responsibilities of a future husband?_ Romario thought.

**xxxx**

Elsa was pacing up and down her room in a very bad mood. The only thing she could think of was that Dino was an awful man, an awful good-looking klutz. There was no way she'd ever like him, let alone any other smot guys ever again, if she did, maybe a plain looking guy would do—no—not even a plain looking guy could be trusted. URGH, why was it so hard to trust guys these days?! She thought.

She sat back on her bed. _Bucking-horse probably doesn't need me anymore. Ah, well, guess it's time for me to bail._

She abruptly got up.

_Stupid, stupid Dino can go buck his way in a hole. _She reached under the bed and hauled out a large suitcase.

Somehow, bailing from a rich guy's mansion meant stealing beforehand; well, it was only common sense.

Elsa spent a good fifteen minutes inside the closet shoving whatever could fit in the suitcase, she even took drastic measures and tied several coats and jackets around her neck and waist. By the time thirty minutes had passed, three caps on her head, one pair of shorts wrapped around her left arm, a blouse tied around her right arm, five pairs of high heels in her left hand and a heavy suitcase full of dresses, lingerie, you name it. Oh and a pair of sunglasses. Boy oh boy did she look ready for a stroll into Dino's office. Elsa tiptoed—more like wobbled—her way to the open window. She had torn apart her old clothes and tied them into a long rope, which was then tied to the leg of her bed in double-knots. Damn the mansion for being so big. She dropped the suitcase and picked up the hand-made rope, tying it around her waist securely. If Elsa was smart, she would have lowered everything to the ground first and _then_ herself, but unfortunately for her she had a pea-sized brain.

She lifted her leg over the windowsill, and then reached for the suitcase. She heard knocking on the door.

"Els?" The jovial voice spoke.

"Crap!" She swung the next leg over.

"Hey are you in there?"

With sweat pouring down the side of her face, she leaned backwards and clumsily tugged on the rope. The bed suddenly moved towards the wall of the window with a coarse squeak.

"GAH!" She screamed, her foot slipping from the brick wall and her body turning a 180 degree back-flip.

She hung upside-down, her arms dangling with a suitcase in one hand and the five pairs of heels in the other. Her caps and sunglasses slid off from 30 meters above ground, a light thud could be heard after a few seconds.

"ELS?!" Dino shouted, barging into the room.

"HEEEEEEEEEEEELP! BUCKING-HORSE!" Elsa shrieked, flailing her arms around.

He looked around frantically, the auburn-haired girl was nowhere to be seen. Hearing the squeaky rubbing on the wooden floor, his eyes craned to the moving bed and the rope tied against the leg. He darted to the window and gaped in horror.

"WHAT THE?!" Immediately, he heaved at the tearing rope.

Why was she so heavy?! He thought, leaning out the window. Her fingers were still wrapped tightly around insignificant suitcase and high heels. What kind of idiot was she?

"Let go of everything!" He shouted to her.

"NO WAY!" She squawked back.

The sound of ripping cloth could be heard.

"What?! You're going to fall if you don't!"

"There's no way I'm letting go! There's more than six pairs of GoodCheese clothing in it!" Somehow branded clothing was more important to her than her life.

"ARE YOU CRAZY?! I'll buy you more some other time!"

"REALLY?"

"YES. Just let go!"

So with a large amount of hesitation, she let go of the suitcase—ONLY…she continued clutching the high heels though. There was a loud thump and crash as it landed on the cement ground, the clothes scattering on the ground, she almost felt like crying at the sound. With about 10 kilos off, Dino could finally haul her back up frenetically with all his strength. She was up within a few minutes, the rope barely holding the last pull, it snapped as she reached the windowsill. He pulled her by the arms and she fell face-flat on the plank floor as he let go. They both sat there panting heavily. Elsa wheezed as she freed herself from the tight cloth around her waist, and tugged the clothes off her body. Dino just looked at her in incredulity.

Finally, he stood up. "Geez! What were you doing?!"

She bit her lip sulkily and lowered her head. "…practicing…my um…stealth."

The blond Italian glared at her skeptically, demanding the truth out of her. She began twirling her finger on the ground in guilt, "R-Running away. Maybe."

"What?"

"I thought maybe you…didn't need me anymore so…BIG DEAL, just leave me alone!" Elsa barked.

Dino brushed his bangs aside with disbelief. His fiancée was an overreacting, stubborn, stupid, plain, 17-year-old teenager, barely an adult. What was he meant to do with her?

He sighed. "I'm not going to abandon you."

"I know." She replied shamefully, "But I would."

Way to blow your plans.

"There's nothing I can do about that, then." Dino shuffled over to her, and tousled her hair with his goofy grin regained. She pouted as he did, but left it at that, "But to do something as absurd as trying to climb down a 30 meter wall with all that junk…"

When she really thought about it, it really was stupid. Another minus added to her list of non-existing talents.

"If you're going to run away, at least try to be careful and less obvious."

Elsa was surprised at his reaction; didn't he care if she ran away? She was bound to steal a whole lot of other things if she had the chance, and yet, he would let her? Elsa let herself be pulled up by Dino, and picked up the mess, forming a pile of clothing in her arms.

"Eh…I almost forgot, I came here to tell you I'm leaving for Japan tomorrow morning." Dino said.

"Oh?" She responded. He came all the way to her room to tell her that, wow.

"I don't know when I'll be back, but it shouldn't be very long. Romario is coming with me so someone else will look after you while we're gone."

She cocked an eyebrow, "I don't really need looking after."

He almost laughed at her, the irony really showed during her escape plan, "Are you sure about that?"

She grunted incoherently and crossed her arms. Dino chuckled at the stubborn girl, "See me off tomorrow morning." He left her room without closing the door.

"Whatever." She grumbled. The last thing she needed was to be left alone. After dumping the pile on her bed, a thought came across her mind.

Wasn't Dino meant to be a clumsy klutz without his men?

_**The next morning...**_

One reason why Romario never let Elsa out of the mansion was because Dino had his own personal herd of stalkers, and they'd be sure to stalk him all the way to the airport, and Elsa had not yet been introduced to the public, so who knew what they would do to her if they found out. She was ecstatic to find out that once Dino left she'd be able to wander around town all she wanted, and hurried him to get in his car and leave. She had already been standing in his office for the passed hour listening to Romario's rambles about informing the new babysitter—as Elsa saw it—If she noticed anything suspicious.

She slouched in her seat. "Alright already can you just go now?"

He shot her a scolding look, "This is for your own good—"

"Romario, it's alright." Dino gestured for him to leave the room, and with much irritation at Elsa, he left.

She stretched her stiff arms and slammed them on the table in front of her, lazily. Dino, sitting across her with his trademark grin, ruffled her hair into a messy lot. He seemed to have developed a habit with messing up her already-disorderly-enough locks.

"Will you go now?" She asked.

"Gee, do you really hate me that much?"

"Yes." A smirk grew on her lips. It was somewhat half-true and Dino knew that pretty well.

Changing the subject, he traced his fingers below her neck where he spotted the tacky, temporary tattoo, which was by now half-faded. She jumped in surprise and brushed his arm away.

"You didn't get a real one?" He asked.

She went bright red. "…I was never rich like you."

How embarrassing, she thought. Here was a man with an arm practically coated with tattoos, and here was a girl that was too chicken to get five measly letters. With all due respect, Dino was the last person that should be seeing this.

He smiled rather playfully, "Want a real one?"

_Hell no. _

"Then again maybe too much pain for you to handle." He smiled goofily.

_Gawd, he didn't have to say it that way._

"Wha-at! I'm SEVENTEEN!" She squawked.

He looked at her doubtfully, remembering what he had to go through getting his pain-in-the-ass tattoo. He guessed it would at least stop her from any further tantrums or peevish behavior if he gave her this little gift.

"Next time." He said tersely.

She snorted, in a rather unladylike manner. Being with Dino was like being with the brother she never had, it was kind of good company, so she guessed she'd miss him for that reason, she'd also miss torturing him. What was she even saying? It was not like he'd be gone forever! Her mind slapped itself.

"I'll leave you alone now." He chuckled, abruptly standing up, "_Ci vediamo_."

He made his way to the door.

"_D-Don' uccisione voi stessi di t_, stupid klutz." Her voice stammered.

Before closing the door, he smiled at her one last time. Purposely.

_Urgh. Stop that._

_

* * *

_

_Ci vediamo _– See you

_Don' uccisione voi stessi di t _– Don't kill yourself

I think, haha. Correct me if I'm wrong.


	6. Excuse Me?

_Disclaimer- Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. _

Sorry for this super late update. I had major exams which I probably failed anyway haha and also I JUST came back from a vacation, but here is chapter 6!

Thanks to my scouz for beta-ing, had a great time with her.

**Note: **Not trying to stereotype.

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

* * *

_**Chapter 6**_

_**Excuse Me**_

"Hell-ooooo." A malicious, strange and highly irritating voice called.

No reply.

He tried knocking again, "HELL-OOOOOOOOOO—"

The door swung open. "Will you shut up?"

Elsa had met her new babysitter shortly after Dino's departure. His name was Luciano, or preferably, Lucy. He was a six foot tall giant with muscles that suspiciously looked as if they had been done from taking steroids. You would think Elsa would have immediately been fascinated with such an abnormally large human being, since she had an affinity with anything opposite to weak, but frankly, she disliked him the minute they met. Partially because he was well…in love with Dino…in other words anti-Elsa. She had nothing against who liked him, but other than the fact the _only _thing he talked about was Dino, she had a perfectly legitimate reason for being annoyed at this guy.

_Earlier in the day..._

"_Miss Ellieeee" Luciano chirped._

_Elsa shuddered, "W-Who are you?"_

"_I'm your new babysitter! Luciano, but just call me Lucy."_

"_I-I don't need a babysitter…"_

"_Don't be ridiculous, if Dino my love says you need a babysitter then I'll look after you even if it means changing your underwear!" _

_She twitched an eyebrow, "What…?"_

"_Oh I've always wanted a girl in the house! My Dino only has male henchmen so it's so hard for me to contain my true self…" He sighed._

_She figured it was probably better if he kept his true self inside. _

"_W-Wait...Dino…your love?" _

"_Yes! He's my one and only true love…so handsome and nice, and so adorable when he falls down the stairs or makes a mess during meals. If only I could be with him..."_

"_You do realize he's a man."_

_"Yes."_

_"Then does that mean...?"_

_"No. It's just my Dino. Because he's the only one who has ever accepted my true self!"_

_"But he's getting married to—"_

"_Of course I know some fiend is getting married to my beloved Dino!"_

_Please stop saying his name._

"_Well that fiend happens to be—"_

"_OH this is so exciting, a girl in the mansion. Finally I get to paint your nails and style your hair! And make-up...OH-EM-GEE I am an EXPERT at applying make-up! Elsa-bell let's be best friends!" _

_What the hell? Elsa-bell? She was scared. Like, really scared._

"_I don't think that would work out—" _

"_DONE, GREAT, we're best friends from now on! I'm so excited… we should have a fashion show and you can be my model" He ambled out the room before she could say another word. _

_xxxx_

And thus the reason why she disliked him from the moment they met, because he was infuriating to the point of screaming.

"Ellieeeee, can I do your hair?" Luciano pleaded, barging into her room while completely oblivious to her icy stare.

"No."

His rough hands grabbed onto her shoulders, "Come on now, a girl needs to look prim and proper!"

"Gah." she raised her arms in submission as he led her over to the dressing table.

He plopped her onto the seat and began twirling his large fingers in her messy cowlicks, he grabbed a brush from the table and began brushing the knots and impossibly tangled tresses. She flinched every now and then.

_I swear I'll be bald by the end of this. _

After jabbing her scalp with bobby pins and yanking at her hair with rubber bands, the excruciating process was finally complete. She looked in the mirror rather impressed with his work, even though all he had done was clip her hair to the side, it looked rather nice, not like her usual self. No, really.

"Elie, want to give each other a foot rub?" he prodded her playfully, "I've always wanted to give Dino one…sigh."

Elsa shuddered vigorously. Urgh, what the hell was his perception of girls? And poor Dino.

"Luciano. You do realize that _I'm _Dino's fiancée?" she questioned.

He merely smirked and squeezed her shoulder agonizingly, "_Scusi?"_

"YOUCH!" Elsa jumped off the chair in shock.

She looked up only to see these piercing eyes, bulging out of his sockets in rage. She almost let out a whimper, but managed to gulp it back. His knuckles cracked dangerously, turning a pale white. Elsa recalled only one other time she had been as scared as this, and that was during highschool when a cockroach had made its way up her leg, and gawd did she scream, really loud too, got her the nickname 'Cockroach-went-up-your-skirt' girl. Yeah, they weren't very creative.

"DINO TOLD ME YOU'RE HIS COUSIN!"

Something told her Dino had known all about this from the beginning.

Before he could give her a girl-bashing, which seemed perfectly fine for him since he was irrevocably in love with Dino, a peculiar song began to play.

_I love you!_

_You love me!_

_We're a HAPPY family!_

He pulled out a mobile and flipped it open .

What the?! Elsa cocked an eyebrow, she didn't understand English but she knew well enough what scary-ass show that song came from, a young adult's nightmare.

"Hello?" his eyes suddenly widened, "Dino—I mean BOSS. W-What can I do for you—oh. You want to speak to Elsa."

He muttered something incoherently under his breath, then glared at her whilst handing over the mobile, she sighed, almost itching to take it all out on goldilocks.

"What?" she spoke ungratefully.

"Hey, you sound like you've missed me. How is it over there?" a blasé voice chuckled over the mobile, Dino somehow sounded manlier over the transmission.

"Perfectly fine without **you**." from the corner of her eye she could see Luciano with his fists in white balls and teeth grinding soundlessly.

"Jeez what's wrong?"

"Nothing. What do you want from me?"

"I just wanted to hear your enthusiastic voice" Elsa could almost feel his goofy smile spread across his lips.

"That's all?"

There was a slight pause.

"And I miss you."

Elsa scoffed. "Tch. You think a cheesy line like that would make me smitten?"

"I didn't think so but it was worth a try."

"Stupid klutz" She sat cross-legged on the floor, ignoring Luciano's death glares. Shows how engaged she was with this peculiar conversation.

"Hey…I'll call you some other time, slightly busy right now. Just wanted know how you were doing."

"I don't need you to call me—"

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Sigh. What she really wanted to tell him was to stay safe, but that just wasn't Elsa now was it?

The mobile was suddenly snatched from her fingers, "To think you would betray me like that. YOU CAN FORGET OUR FRIENDSHIP!"

There was a sudden burst of sobs then a series of loud thumping out the room. This was the first time she had ever met a mafioso like this, and heck, she hoped she wouldn't meet another. Now who would look after her? she wondered, so much for not needing a babysitter. Elsa figured it would be rather heartless--even for a witch like her--if she didn't at least tryto make amends with Luciano, so she followed after him, not very enthusiastically, out the mansion and towards the main garden. More than a garden, it kind of represented the Amazons, with all the trees clustering together. She spotted him sobbing quietly by a bird fountain.

"WHY?! WHY ME?!" okay, maybe not so quiet, "Hic. Hic. I'd love him thrice as much as her..."

Ah, the poor guy, it wasn't his fault Dino was so irresistible, fortunately he wasn't exactly Elsa's type, it already seemed like she was engaged to her own brother.

"Stupid, stupid...hic. hic." She snuck behind him, her shadow casting over his. She wasn't a very good consultant, but as long as she didn't say anything, she figured it'd be alright. She stroked him gently on the back, squatting beside him.

"What does he like about you?" he sobbed, "You're plain, unwomanly and STUPID! Clearly inferior to me. Hic. Hic."

Elsa twitched, agitated. So this is what she got for trying to help, so much for BFFL.

"Look. I don't erm...love...pretty boy or anything, right now I can only see him as a um...brother or a close friend, if you want him you can have him because I only got into this awkward situation by chance." she wasn't very good at this at all, but if it helped even a little...

"Hic. You don't like Dino?"

"No. His subordinates chose me from an audition to become Dino's fiancée. Do you understand now? Urk...Stop crying." she pouted, her cheeks blushing slightly.

"Disgusting." was his reply.

"What?"

"I said that's disgusting. My beloved Dino in an unrequited love; and you witch, using his A-class body for your own satisfaction!" his voice boomed across the trees causing them to tremble violently.

"N-NO WAY! We haven't done ANYTHING, and he is NOT in an unrequited...whatever." she flustered a bright red, turning away from him, "It'd seem like incest...and I'm sure he'd agree."

Surprise spread across his face.

"Look, I don't want to be in this position any more than you do, so if you really want to get rid of me, you can help me find a way out of this."

"You could just tell him."

"You _know _that's just not right." she huffed.

Luciano squinted at her with his puffy eyes "Fine."

He then turned away, disgusted at himself.

At least now he wouldn't bother her with glares and angry threats. But something about this made her stomach coil in regret, she ignored it, however.

For the rest of the day, the emotional giant had ceased his peculiar habits which relieved Elsa. However, he now treated her rather bitterly. Later that night, she stopped caring and forced herself to get use to the fact he just didn't like her. Although, not many people _did _like her anyway.

_**Four days later...**_

"It's so peaceful without him." she muttered, brushing the lint off her Galvin Blind gift Dino had given her on her first day. She pressed it against her nose and sniffed in the fresh scent; she looked stupid. Four day went by rather slowly, and she didn't like it, because in those four days she had absolutely _nothing _to do. The dressing room was overflowing with pricey suits, all in which would've looked exactly the same in a commoner's eyes, although Elsa was below even a commoner. She spent most of the time sitting in her home theater watching Rodfather which was basically about the life of a mafia boss that liked fishing, oh and Public Toiletries which was about a gangster that stole toiletries from convenient stores, she really liked that one since Jolly Debt was in it. This basically meant she re-watched these two movies over and over again throughout all four days, which was quite sad. She also spent quite some time peeking into Luciano's room, as he seemed to be starting these voodoo rituals which involved taking a photo of Dino and pinning it onto a straw doll, and then...the details were just too graphic for Elsa to continue spying after that. To sum things up, the real meaning of _peaceful _without Dino was in fact_ boring _without Dino.

"Miss Luca." a voice grumbled behind the door of her bedroom. She'd been long familiarized with the incoherent tone of Luciano, and he had long stopped calling her Elie after the incident, but somehow 'Miss Luca' just didn't quite cut it.

She cleared her throat coarsely, not a very womanly thing coming from her, "Ahem...yeah."

With a grimace on his face, he entered the room with a cordless phone in his big, gorilla hand, "Romario."

Her face lit up, and immediately she took the phone from his hand and pressed it against her ear, "Hello?"

"Hey, Romario gets a proper greeting but I don't? That's cruel." **THAT **voice sighed.

Elsa froze. Then moved the phone away from her, she took a deep breath in.

"What?" Luciano's eyes flicked towards her, she pressed the phone against her ear again, trying her best not to sound elated, "I thought Romario was on the line."

She looked up at the giant to make sure he hadn't heard. He was leaning against the wall in his cool facade.

"I made him switch with me because I wanted to hear—"

"…my enthusiastic voice. Yes, I know. What is it you want?"

"I won't tell you unless you say you've missed me." she heard his light chuckles vibrate against her ear.

"Very nice, bye."

"Jeez, wait! I was kidding."

"..." she waited.

"I hope you've packed your bags."

"Hah? Why's that?" she turned to Luciano. He just looked at her with perplexity.

"Because I've booked a flight for you and Luciano tomorrow morning, you're coming to Japan, my tutor wants to meet you."

"_Scusi?_"

* * *

_Rodfather_ - Godfather

_Public Toiletries_ - Public Enemies

_Jolly Debt_ - Johnny Depp

_Scusi _- Excuse me


	7. Welcome To Japan

_Disclaimer- Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. _

A new year, 2010…time flies. Reviews for thoughts on this chapter thank you :)

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

* * *

_**Chapter 7**_

_**Welcome to Japan**_

Elsa's very first experience on an airplane was unexpectedly great. No, actually she kept throwing up every fifteen minutes, and Luciano was of course, the cleaner. Dino's babysitting idea was becoming clear—first class didn't seem to help either. The stewardess had given her a bucket instead of paper bags; she figured it'd last for the entire trip.

"I hate planes." Elsa murmured, her face turning a murky color.

Luciano just sighed, rubbing her back while she let out another belch of sickness (poor girl she was). Whilst landing, Elsa began stressing out big time and whining about her ears getting blocked. It wasn't until they touched down did this problematic child _finally _shut it. She rushed off the plane hastily.

"Stupid klutz" she stumbled down the steps and was abruptly caught by the arm.

"Watch your step." Romario chuckled, opening the door of a slick red sports car.

"You..." Boy, _am I glad to see YOU._

He flashed a doting smile. "Boss will be with you soon enough."

"Don't rush it." she sat herself in the back seat and slammed the door shut. That was when she was hit with _his _scent. She peered in the front seat; unfortunately it was empty. Luciano came in beside her, his expression softened at the scent as well, he took a deep sniff, then sighed with bliss, with a little bit of pleasure too. Oh great, was she turning into him? She slumped down.

"Soon…meaning tomorrow or the day after, Boss is currently staying with the Vongola tenth" Romario said.

Cough. Cough. GAG.

"Jeez, you okay?" Luciano whacked her several times on the back.

"Ah, you must know a little about the Vongola."

More like ALOT. The days of researching and studying had come back to her, if there was one person she had never stopped loving, it'd have to be the first generation Vongola boss, she even went as far as to using her savings for his photograph. Yes, Vongola-obsessive-compulsive-disorder in action.

"J-Just a little..." Lies.

Maybe if she were lucky enough, she'd be able to meet the Vongola tenth and then beg him to let her join his family, she thought. But that would be like betraying Dino which wasn't such a great idea after all he had done for her. She fiddled with her fingers restlessly, as if she was expecting something once she arrived at the unknown destination—of course, there would be nothing. The fiddling led to her knee shaking as she glared out the window.

"Miss Luca, a woman shouldn't be doing such RUDE thing while sitting…especially a woman getting married to such a HIGH CLASS man." Luciano snapped.

"Who said I was getting married yet…" Elsa rambled in a frustrated tone.

"Wanna repeat that?"

"No."

She folded her arms and remained silent for the rest of the ride.

Arriving at such a luxurious hotel didn't surprise her at the very least. In fact, instead of gawking like an idiot in front of her five star suite, she went straight to bed and snoozed for the rest of the day, skipping lunch in the process. She only managed to rouse around seven at night.

"This bed smells like someone, geh." Elsa grumbled, plopping herself up, then began snooping at every nook and cranny. She spotted a suitcase at the other side of the king size bed, which strangely enough didn't belong to her. She dragged it on the sheets and clicked it open. Male clothing was stacked in a messy lot as well as...well she didn't even want to look at that.

"What imbecile would leave his clothes behind in a hotel?" She probed around deeper (clearly an invasion of privacy). She pulled out a very familiar patterned tie and dangled it in front of her. She sniffed it curiously; the scent hit her hard.

Knock. Knock.

"Madam, are you still asleep?" Romario called through the door.

"No, I'm awake."

"I called room service to bring your meal; it should come in a short while"

"Erm, thanks." the sound of Romario's footsteps could be heard fading away.

_I might as well take a shower first, _she thought, rummaging through her own suitcase, forgetting entirely about the open suitcase on the bed. She pulled out her undergarments and placed them on the bedside, then headed in the spotless, dazzling bathroom which happened to be a long walk away. White and gold were the only colors her eyes could absorb at the moment. She shook her hair out in a mess and shut the door.

The greatest advantage of having a suite to oneself was that one could walk around naked which was exactly what Elsa did not do (well a towel wrapped around didn't exactly make her an exhibitionist). Besides, a hotel would probably have plenty of birthday suits strolling around, she figured.

Now that Elsa thought about it, she was in a foreign country and hadn't had a thorough look at the view yet. She drew the curtains apart and heaved the transparent sliding door open, then shut it again with a thunk.

"This feels—holy cow its freezing." Elsa shivered briskly and tugged at the door handle urgently.

It didn't budge. She tugged harder. The click of a lock could be heard.

"G-Great. I'm one lucky mafia boss' fiancée." She shivered, turning slowly around again.

She leaned over the fence and stared out at the residential lights. Come to think of it, which part of Japan was she in anyway? It didn't look like Okinawa that's for sure. She peered down at the ground. Man was is high up; imagine falling down from the eighteenth storey. Her teeth were starting to chatter. _Why is Japan so cold!? _she thought.

A warm hand suddenly grabbed onto her bare shoulders, "Yo!"

"MOTHER OF PIGS!" she squawked in shock, and with a frightful jump she suddenly tilted over the fence with her arms free off the rail.

"ELS WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Dino shouted, grabbing on her waist with both hands.

This was the second time she'd been in this situation. Falling to her death seemed to be her fate.

"Dino what are you doing here? You weren't meant to be back until later!" Elsa cried from bellow.

"Now's not the time for that! You're falling from the eighteenth storey of a building!"

And Dino always happened to be her savior. They struggled in that position for several minutes.

"Why…are you so heavy…?" Dino gritted his teeth.

Her waist was starting to ache, "Urgh…"

"Don't move…I'm pulling you up!"

"DON'T YOU DARE. Your men aren't around! You'll kill me!" She barked.

"Don't be ridiculous Els!" He lunged her up, and with the slip of his foot, fell forward. He grabbed onto her legs before she could fall.

"GODDAMNIT DINO I SAID NOT TO DO ANYTHING!" she could feel her towel loosening, and slipping off slowly. Never again would she attempt to walk around ninety percent naked.

"I'm slipping…" his feet began levitating from the ground as the weight began pulling him over the rail.

"DON'T YOU DARE LET GO! I WILL NOT LET YOU SAVE YOURSELF!" not a very considerate thought.

And with the last tilt, they fell straight down with a thump into the next balcony—how lucky they were.

"Ouch ouch ouch, get off me you klutz…" she moaned, pushing on the heavy weight pinning her down.

He rolled off her and rubbed his forehead, flinching at the slight pain. He sat up and turned his head. A pair of hands slapped at his eyes before he could see anything.

"OW! What was that—"

"Don't look, turn around."

He obediently turned, "What's wrong?"

He could feel the palms of her hand getting warmer, "I've lost my towel. Lend me your jacket, and don't peek."

The both of them were turning beetroot red as Dino slowly took his jacket off, arm by arm with Elsa's hands tightly pressed against his eyes.

"H-Hey, are you peeking!?" she snapped with a shaky voice.

"No…"

He handed her the jacket, his arm brushing over something. He blushed, "Ah! I just touched something soft…"

"That was my arm, don't assume anything."

"Right…"

The door slid open with a loud thud.

"WHO'S THERE?!" Luciano boomed. He looked down at what seemed to be—in his eyes—a raunchy scene of a naked girl and young boy stripping his jacket off for her, "HEY, MAKE LOVE IN YOUR OWN—"

"Wait! Luciano!" Dino cried.

Elsa grabbed the jacket desperately and slid it on quickly while he was looking away. It was only _just _long enough.

His eyes bulged out in shock, "B-BOSS, YOU'RE BACK? MISS LUCA?"

"It's a misunderstanding!" The two cried in unison.

Luciano stared at them. He was cut. He took a breath in and held back the tears. He turned around abruptly, "I understand…I'll…leave you two alone…"

"Urgh…" Elsa moaned. There was some serious explaining to do.

It took fifteen minutes before he was finally convinced with their wacky story, and heck, Elsa was beginning to freeze.

"I'll call medics just incase…" Dino said.

"No. I'm fine, you're fine, I'm going back, Luciano don't tell anyone about this…err…incident." Elsa blushed, and for a good reason too. She borrowed a bath robe from Luciano's room and headed back to her own room along with Dino. Luciano's expression remained troubled even after they left. Neither of them spoke a word with every step, although it wasn't like Dino saw anything. As they walked, Elsa realized this was the first time in weeks (which wasn't very long) that they had been able to see each other. A reunion like this was sure a disaster, but it didn't change the fact she was very glad to see him, as a friend of course. She hastened the pace as it grew more awkward, and began clinging onto the jacket that was now in her hands, it kind of felt damp.

"Hey, it's been a while." Dino finally spoke, breaking the silence, "I finally get to hear this enthusiastic voice of yours again."

"Y-Yeah…" she stuttered, still flustered from her self exhibition. She probed for something to keep the conversation going, "So…erm…when do I meet this tutor of yours?"

"Well I've just been lost for a few days with a bunch of friends including my tutor. Next time I see him may be during new years."

"New years?" she didn't even realize how fast time went.

"New years is in half a week, let's spend it together!" Dino's goofy grin she hadn't seen for a long time had finally shown up. She kind of missed it.

"Do I look like I have a choice?"

"That reminds me, you can't speak Japanese can you?"

Elsa froze in front of the suite door, "Erm, well…I'm alright."

"You've learnt?"

"You could say that…" well actually her infatuation with the Vongola Primo went through a crazy obsessive-stalker phase, and during that phase she found out the Primo could speak Japanese, all language barriers then broke loose for her. But she could never say that to Dino, "Hey…why are you following me?"

"This is my room." Dino smiled.

"You mean—"

"It's a suite; it's more than enough for the two of us."

Elsa flustered in awkwardness, a little speechless too. She frowned and began to turn, "I-I don't think this is appropriate…I-I'll have a room to myself"

"What are you talking about?" he grinned, then swiped his keycard, the door opened. He quickly nudged her in, "Don't worry. Oh, room service came earlier."

"W-Wait…Dino"

He shut the door behind them. At least she knew whose suitcase it was she found.

"I HAVE EVERY REASON TO WORRY YOU STUPID MOP-HEADED KLUTZ!"

Honey, welcome to Japan.


	8. Hens That Blow Up

_Disclaimer- Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. _

Introducing Watari Yano—your worst nightmare. Well…MY worse nightmare at least. GAHAHAHA I had loads of fun with this chapter!

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

* * *

_**Chapter 8**_

_**Hens That Blow Up**_

"Els." Dino nudged her shoulder.

"Mhmm…" Elsa indolently moaned. She rolled sluggishly over to the middle of the lavish bed.

"Hey Els wake up." He sat on her bed, cross-legged beside her. She rolled over a bit more.

"Let me sleep…"

"We're going out today."

"Geh…stupid klutz"

Dino glanced over at her back facing him, he shuffled closer to her. The short silence made Elsa feel a bit uncomfortable and slightly paranoid.

"I realized you stopped calling me bucking-horse."

"Want me to relapse?" she asked with a groan, a little more lively now, and relieved it wasn't something else he wanted to do—If you know what I mean.

"Stupid klutz is a bit…well at least it's more casual." he chuckled, "But you call me by my name now."

Elsa rolled over to face him; dark circles drooped under her eyes. She didn't give a damn what she called him, she just wanted to doze off again and dream of flying pigs or something. She didn't get a wink of sleep last night, all because of this stupid pretty boy that decided to snooze on a bed right across hers. Okay, so there was a door in between them and so on, but she still felt paranoid sleeping in a suite with a grown man in his twenties and still well in a hormonal period. He could have opened that no-lock door and attack her at any time of the night—not like anybody would want to. She hugged the pillow and pressed it against her head. She glanced at Dino's pants, her glance turned into a gaze that traced up to his topless torso—she always dreamed of seeing—with drowsy eyes. Actually, she really just wanted to gawk stupidly.

"Ugh, put a shirt on and stop trying to show me your fat naked body." she grumbled, sitting up and throwing the pillow at him. In reality, she just couldn't look without going red.

He caught it against his chest, "HEY!"

She scratched her bed-head that currently represented a patch of armpit hair. Dino let out a laugh and messed it up even more, causing another pillow to be thrown at his head.

"So where are we going?"

"To meet a friend of mine, she says she wants to meet you." he said.

Elsa cocked an eyebrow. The last thing she wanted was to meet another one of Dino's loony fan girls, because it was a known fact that every loony fan girl she met would have some kind of troublesome plan up their sleeve, and then she'd have to go through a whole lot of clawing and rioting all over again. Keeping him as her own could be a problem too, since he could—for all she knew—be the biggest playboy in Italy.

"Well, get changed!" he grinned.

"I don't need to wear anything fancy right?"

"Nope."

Elsa sighed with relief, and then grabbed her suitcase beside the bed. She unlatched the locks with a click and pulled out a pair of jeans. Dino remained seated on her bed with his suave smile playing on his lips.

"Hey Dino?"

"Yes?" he said.

"Get out." She threw the last pillow at his face.

Elsa began to wonder about this _friend _of Dino during her daze in the shower, her time changing, and her time walking over to Dino's side of the suite. She walked in with a towel over her damp hair and cocked at eyebrow while looking up and down her fiancé's casual attire (she was such a perve).

"Dino, your pants look as if they could fall off any minute." she said.

"I'm wearing a belt!" he cried, surprised by her straightforward remark.

She threw her towel on his bed and handed him his thick jacket, probably his favourite for all she knew, and she just had to put it on her nude body last night. He thanked her and took it reluctantly, slipping his arms in the sleeves with a slight blush. Elsa said nothing and gave him an apologetic look. They headed out the door, followed by a horde of his men. She recognised a few of them, including one of the buff men that escorted her during the audition that caused her pitiful—but now alright—fate. His name, she recalled, was Ivan or something, the one with the funny looking Mohawk. Romario followed alongside with Luciano, her appointed babysitter, walking unenthusiastically behind her. The staff members and customers within the hotel were jaw-dropping at the bunch of scary-ass looking mafia men. Elsa felt kind of proud, although completely embarrassed at the same time; she shaded her face with one hand. The number of cars that looks identical—excluding Dino's personal red sports car—didn't help with the staring on the roads either, it could have looked exactly like a wedding if there were banquets. There was a good distanced gap between them in the back seat, both Elsa and Dino happened to be staring out the window in a daze. Romario, whilst driving, couldn't help but smirk to himself.

_xxxx_

They line of cars were parked around an entire suburban area, and the horde of men stepped out one at a time. Elsa followed Dino as they began striding down the narrow street. In a common citizen's eyes, this would've looking like a gang war was about to start…from a wedding to a war, ingenious.

"Must they all follow like this…people will start to freak out." she muttered to him.

"Haha, don't worry, we aren't that stupid."

She doubted those words, really doubted them. They made a left turn, eventually reaching a quaint, simple, house with a front lawn flourishing with rosebuds and flowers. The front plate was engraved with the words _Watari_ and decorated with tiny patterns of vines and lilies. In Elsa's honest opinion…it was **disgusting**. How could you even _live_ in a place that looked so lovely and divine without puking or going blind? she thought. Elsa already didn't like this girl. Oh yeah, she could tell they were definitely _not _going to get along. She was probably just another one of those annoying, brat girls that only wanted Dino's money and hot body (not like Elsa wasn't one of those).

The door swung open.

"Dino!" An angel ran out of the house with open arms. Well at least that's what it looked like in Elsa's perspective.

"Yano!"

The girl fell into a warm embrace with Dino. Elsa could only gawk stupidly at the scene. But what shocked her most was the difference between that girl's appearance and her own. Were good-looking women the only women Dino knew? This…_angel_…spotted Elsa's dumbfounded face behind him and walked elegantly over in her yellow summer dress, it bounced lightly as she did. _Gah._

"I'm Watari Yano, nice to meet you!" She smiled brightly enough for Elsa to take a step back. What also shocked her was the sudden change of language.

"U-Uhh…"

"Oh? You can't speak Japanese?"

The words were at the tip of her tongue, but the shock had caused a bug in her memory bank. Besides, the last time she was obsessively learning for the sake of her beloved Giotto was quite a while ago.

"I thought you said you'd learnt?" Dino asked abruptly, in Italian.

This made her twitch; she _so _did not want to be made a laughing stock in front of this guy for telling a fib. Her brain workers began fixing her memory bank in swift motions, and within seconds, her language barrier broke at once. _Ah…dear Vongola Primo, _she sighed.

"M-My name is Elsa. Pleasure…" she finally spat out, letting out a '_phew' _of relief in her head.

"_Ano_…your Japanese is pretty good!" Yano giggled.

It was a fact that Watari Yano was nothing like Elsa expected. Watari Yano was a woman—not a seventeen year old—she was nineteen, only a mere three years from Dino, yet she looked younger than Elsa herself. She was also exceptionally good-looking, with wavy chestnut hair that glistened as if it were somehow graphically made to do that, and she had extremely pale skin, almost fragile. Not only that, she was also very (disappointingly) nice. Yano was a nice, kind and gentle girl that any man would have an eyebrow-raise for, not to mention her smile was almost angelic.

They were led into the house, leaving the men outside to shine their weapons and light their cigarettes. Inside was without doubt as pretty and clean, in Elsa's terms, cheesy and grotesque as the outside. She sat on the floral armchair on one side of the glass table, while Dino headed for the other armchair opposite her. But before he could sit, Yano placed the tray of green tea on the table and stopped him abruptly.

"_Ne, _Dino sit beside me!" She gestured bubbly on the sofa.

Dino, unable to refuse but not reluctant anyway, sat beside Yano. Elsa _almost_ wanted to groan at this girl, but just couldn't. Yano turned to Elsa with her smile still implanted. _Here it comes, _Elsa thought.

"_Ano…_Elsa-chan, how did you meet Dino?"

No, not this question again. Dino would probably come up with some mumbo jumbo—

"My men kept nagging me about getting a girl already, but I didn't have anyone in mind at the time so they set up this arranged marriage instead." Dino said bluntly, with a sigh.

Elsa was completely taken aback. The usual routine was Venice, adding on some romantic story, but the truth was the last thing she'd expected him to answer. Yano would have to be pretty close to him for him to reveal everything…not that Elsa cared. It was—once again—none of her business.

"Ehh, that's not very good. _Eto_…doesn't that mean you were both forced into this?" Yano asked sympathetically, turning to Elsa.

"U-Uhh well…" Elsa stuttered. She sipped her green tea nervously, "I-I guess so."

"Marriage is only for people that are in love, _ne_?"

"I don't really mind, as long as my men are happy with it." Dino chuckled, his goofy smile following.

"Elsa-chan?"

"Erm…err…uhh…well…that's…"

"_Eto_…If you both don't like being forced you should just tell them."

"Yeah, we'll be sure to do that. Thanks for worrying. " Dino smiled at her, a sweet, friendly, untainted smile that Elsa had never seen in her life. Gah, what did she care?

The conversation then went to Yano and Dino's life, the aura was _so_ friendly that Elsa had trouble keeping the vomit halfway down her throat from exploding out. The image was so perfect, a blonde Italian hottie and Japan's cutest girl sitting on a sofa side by side in the midst of merry socializing. Elsa began to see sparkles, which was then it was starting to scare her. She also couldn't help but begin to feel a little left out and a little irritated at Dino. He was completely engaged with whatever crap they were discussing.

"_Ano_…I'm very sorry Elsa-chan, I hope I'm not boring you. It's just that I haven't seen Dino for so long! Would you like some cake? I baked it yesterday, _ne_?"

Elsa began to twitch, this girl was seriously too nice for her to hate. And she certainly wasn't one of those backstabbing bitches that straightforwardly said to your face they wanted to kill you or something. Competition was not even the right word for Elsa and this…girl…angel…thing…it was more like…Yano was the determined winner from the start. If Dino needed a fiancée this bad why didn't he just ask this girl?

Elsa then realized. She realized that the status of a mafia boss' fiancée was just a name. In reality, there really was nothing but a friendship—not even—acquaintanceship between her and Dino. And when she _really _went to her limit of being considerate (which is a very hard thing for her to do of course), she figured it was rather unfair for Dino to marry someone he didn't even have feelings for.

_There goes my money…once again, _she thought.

"_Ano…_Dino, how is Enzio?"

_Enzio? Who the heck is that? _Elsa's ears perked up.

"Heh, he's right here." Dino suddenly pulled something out of his jacket, which was funny because Elsa didn't remember finding anything inside the pockets. It was a snapping turtle, and frankly, Elsa loved turtles. Mainly because turtles were slow, and slow things were so fun to watch, and damn this turtle was just so cute in her eyes. Hey…wait a minute…

"You never told me about Enzio?" Elsa blurted, regretting it seconds after.

"Ah right, I forgot about it. Sorry."

_**THAT **_was all he had to say?

"_Kya~!_It's been a while Enzio!" Yano petted it softly, and then took it from Dino's hands, giving it small hug against her chest.

Elsa glanced at Dino, who was smiling dotingly at the scene. The smile was so sweet and loving, that she had to look away. Yano looked up at her once more.

"Elsa-chan…_ano…_" She placed her soft hand on Elsa's arm, and gazed at her in the utmost loving way, "I envy you. Dino is the most kind and caring man I have ever met, if I were you I would cherish him for the rest of my life, so please…cherish him and love him."

Oh god…Elsa was at her limit. She abruptly jumped up from the armchair, covering her mouth and turning a sickly, pale color, "E-Excuse me I need to ask Luciano something…"

She burst out the living room and swung the door open. But dang, the flowers were making her sick too, so she staggered her way out the front lawn and finally collapsed outside without puking. A pair of shiny, waxed shoes stood in front of her face. She looked up, but was suddenly forced back down with a leather shoe stepping on the back of her head.

"HEY!" Elsa cried with her nose pressing against the concrete ground.

"L-Luciano what are you doing?!" Romario and a few others began bracing him back.

Elsa stood up, dusting her blouse and jeans with an angry expression.

"What the hell are **YOU **doing out here?!" Luciano roared, picking her up by the collar.

The men forced him back again. Elsa dropped to the ground with a thump, "OUCH!"

Romario helped her up, "You can't treat a—"

"Dino is in there with a goddamn PINK FAIRY or something, and you run out and leave them alone?!"

"YOU try going in there, it's like an angel's fortress of something! I feel like puking just looking at anything…**nice.**"

"I hate those types of fake-innocent freaking girls that glue onto my Dino so you better get back inside NOW! I'd rather a plain idiot like you!"

"Hell no—"

"I SAID YOU BETTER GET YOUR LITTLE BUTTOCKS IN THERE RIGHT NOW OR ELSE I'LL BREAK THOSE LITTLE BUTTOCKS OF YOURS." The sound of grinding teeth could be heard.

"EEP." Elsa scurried back into the house with her eyes shut. She'd rather see hell than feel hell.

"Elsa-chan, you're back! _Eto…_we were just doing some palm reading. " Yano chirped. Elsa stared at her hands holding onto Dino's; Enzio was gone.

"Yano's a fortune teller." Dino said as-a-matter-of-fact, with his goofy grin on his face.

"I-I see…"

"_Ano…_could I read your palm?"

"Erm…I don't mind."

"Great!" Yano sat Elsa down on the armchair, and knelt down whilst examining her palm. Elsa was beginning to feel nervous; she looked at Dino who was still staring lovingly at Yano's every movement.

She probed around the lines and rotated her palm left and right. A fascinated expression grew on her face. "_Ne_, Elsa-chan, how many relationships have you been in?"

OH MY -BEEP-ING GOD. She did _not _just ask Elsa's personal forbidden question. Well that triggered it. She began to blush, and then burn, and then she was turning into charcoal. She lowered her face and started to shake uncontrollably, the truth was not an option. "U-Uhh…r-r-relationships…err…I-I…"

"Ah, I'm sorry, forget that question. I'm really sorry…I'll ask you another!" Yano cried, guilt-ridden.

"I-It's okay…" _NO IT CERTAINLY IS NOT. _Relief and tranquility was pouring onto her.

"_Eto_…how many times have you fallen in love?"

_W-Why are they all love-related questions? _Elsa thought angrily, but if she didn't answer this one, suspicions would probably arise.

"Can't remember." she lied, containing her frustration.

"Eh, that's not very good Elsa-chan. Falling in love is a wonderful experience! You should always remember every one of them!"

_What do you know? _Elsa thought. Heck, _NOW _she was starting to hate this girl.

Realizing her furrowing eyebrows, Yano quietened and continued to examined her palm, "_Eto_…your life line tells me it's better to change the path you're going right now, or you'll be going through a lot of pain…"

Elsa raised an eyebrow, her hands stiffened. _Are you telling me to stop thinking about marrying Dino and let YOU keep the money?_

"_Eto_…your love line tells me you're going to fall in love again soon…" No, not this again.

"Again? What's that suppose to mean?" Elsa was getting _very _annoyed.

"_E-Eto_…n-nothing." Yano looked closer, averting a glare. "But if you go on with this person you'll have no chance at all…"

The anger was building up in her. The one thing that she absolutely **forbid **anyone from prying into was her love life, and the sole reason was because she had one heck of a **horrible** and _**traumatizing, **_piece of **SHIT** love life…SO BUTT OUT.

"_Ano…_I suggest if you fall in love with someone within these few months…go for somebody else."

That snapped it.

"GODDAMNIT JUST KEEP YOUR WUSSY LITTLE NOSE OUT OF IT, YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING! I'M NOT FALLING IN LOVE WITH ANYONE! NOT ANYONE YOU HERE ME?! NOT EVEN STUPID KLUTZ OVER THERE! SO SHUT YOUR LITTLE YAPPER YOU PLASTIC ANGEL AND DON'T YOU **DARE **PREACH TO ME ABOUT THE WORD **LOVE**!" she blew up.

"_E-E-Eto…_I-Im sorry… Hic. Hic. I didn't mean to..." Tears began welling up in Yano's eyes; she fell into Dino's arms and started sobbing quietly.

"Suck it up." Elsa rolled her eyes and groaned angrily at her pathetic reaction. Steam was literally floating around her.

"Els, what's wrong with you?!" he chided.

Elsa felt her inner pride being violated. Oh no, don't you DARE side with her.

"Your FACE." And with that, he shut up.

Elsa stormed out the room and marched towards Dino's men with a demon's face. Her fists were balled up so tightly they'd become white. Luciano opened his mouth to scold her again, but before he could speak…she glared at him. Glared at him with so much intensity it hurt. It hurt like blades were flying around the air right now, even the horde of men were frozen stiff and speechless. She began striding angrily down the street. Everyone watched her as she disappeared around the corner. Romario, regaining himself, realized the situation and was about to follow after her until he was abruptly stopped by the tiny arm of a baby.

"Interesting…" It spoke.

"R-Reborn?!"

Shortly after the incident, Elsa never came back to the hotel room.


	9. Finding Elsa De Luca

_Disclaimer- Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. _

Happy Valentines Day and Happy Chinese New Year! Sorry for late update.

It pains me to start my fourth week of school; updates will be slower…A LOT slower. Very sorry everyone, the workload increased this year by triple.

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

* * *

_**Chapter **__**9**_

_**Finding Elsa**_

Elsa was not a very intelligent girl. You could say she was kind of stupid, but she was definitely not naïve.

Here she lay on a bench in a park, cold and shivering. Her legs were all numb from walking around the streets all afternoon, letting off the steam from earlier. If she even bothered to realize she was in a completely different country with no money or any contacts whatsoever, then she maybe she would have given a second thought about throwing an angry fit in front of Dino. But one thing's for sure, Elsa certainly did _not _regret anything she said to that robotic woman. This was the second time she caused trouble for one of Dino's female acquaintances, and she was almost convinced that he would end the engagement (if there even was one in the first place).

Elsa was now officially prepared to live a hobo life. Although it would take a while before her clothes were filthy enough for her to stink, she figured now was the best time to start rummaging public bins. Her stomach began rumbling.

"I wonder if I should start applying for a few jobs here…" Elsa muttered. She hugged her knees whilst turning to face the diminutive fountain in the middle of the park.

It looked lonely—kind of like Elsa.

She was beginning to feel throbbing pains from the hard bench pressing against her head. She stared at the fountain, and listened to the faint splashing of the water. Elsa knew she would probably end up staring dumbly like that all night, but she did it anyway. She stared. She stared intensely. She stared at a speck behind the fountain. She then stared at a bigger speck beside the fountain. The speck gradually turned into a lamp-like shape which then turned into a short baby. It began coming closer and closer to her, it was somewhat familiar…

The baby stood in front of her, with his hat and diminutive suit. On top of his hat was a green lizard with its eyes bulging out at her—she assumed it was a toy.

"Ciaossu." The baby greeted, looking directly into her eyes.

"What do you want? Shouldn't you be at home little boy?" Elsa asked.

"Mafiosi don't confine themselves indoors." Its squeaky voice replied.

Elsa sat up, and looked down at the baby suspiciously.

"Kid, the Mafia aint all that, trust me…I know."

"Not all Mafia are the same."

"Oh? You would know."

"I do, I'm part of the mafia. I'm an assassin."

Elsa stared at him in a rather bemused way, "Now hold on a minute, you shouldn't—"

Elsa sat up and offered her hand to the infant. _Maybe I could ask to stay for a night…_

"Do you want me to take you home little boy?"

Reborn grinned, a devious grin. He turned around whilst tugging onto her shirt.

"Do you know the way home?" Elsa asked.

"This way," He led her down the park.

_xxxx_

"Boss! She still hasn't gone back to the hotel!" Romario cried with a phone in his hand that had most likely been constantly dialed for the passed five hours or so.

"Jeez, where has she run off?!" Dino began pacing up and down. The search party for little Miss Luca had been going on for hours, and Dino had sent his men all over Japan to look for her. From Tokyo to Osaka—you name it.

"E-Eto…I'm sorry, this is all my fault, let me help look for her." Yano stuttered, clinging onto the sleeve of his coat.

"No, she's just like that; we'll find her in no time." He grinned at her with reassurance. But in reality, he had absolutely no idea how to handle such a feral fiancée. It hurt him to even think of the future.

"If that's the case, do you have some time to spare?"

"Hm?"

"Ano…it's been a while since I last saw you, could we? E-Eto…y-you don't have to of course…ne."

Now was hardly the time for such a question.

Dino looked over at her. Of course he was fretting over Elsa's disappearance; however it didn't change the fact that it would be rude to refuse Yano. He kept his smiling façade and reluctantly agreed, "First, let me call Romario."

He called Romario and told him the news, and of course, Romario wasn't very happy about it at all. Although, Luciano's reaction was worse, he was so revolted he even took the initiative to pester Dino about Elsa—anything that would keep that _thing _(Yano) away from him.

"Boss, don't you think Miss Luca would be more than glad to find you searching for her _yourself_?" Luciano asked.

Dino thought for a moment. "Huh?"

"She might even forget everything about this morning!"

"Well…" Dino scratched his head.

"Eto…I-I think Elsa-chan needs some space ne? She needs time to calm down. I can understand her…" Yano's said, gazing at him with her pleading eyes, all full of good intentions. Luciano shot her a piercing glare.

"Yeah, I think she hates me even more now." Dino nodded.

"But Boss, Miss Luca is all alone with nowhere to go, and she probably hasn't eaten a thing! Aren't you worried?" Luciano pleaded, taking a step in front of Yano. _I can't believe I just said that…_

"Of course I'm worried!" He was just afraid she'd hit him…

"And I think she'd like it better if Boss found her instead," _Elsa that annoying prat, you owe me big time…_

"Ano…but Elsa-chan said she didn't have any feelings for Dino. Wouldn't it better if they didn't see each other?…I-I would run away just like her if it were me…"

_And WHOSE fault was it that she ran away?! _Luciano grit his teeth.

"She might be kidnapped!"

"Jeez, you're making me worry even more!" Dino was about to jet for his car, but before he could leave a certain oh-I-wonder-who-it-could-be grabbed onto his arm. Luciano began biting his fingernails in rage. _ARGH DON'T TOUCH MY DINO!_

"Wait—Dino, I-I don't want you to go. Because…Elsa…she…she ran away from you to meet someone!"

Ah wha…?

"Huh?" Dino froze.

"Are you kidding me." Luciano cocked an eyebrow.

"Eto…I could see it when I was palm reading. Did you ever think about _why_ she didn't refuse to come here?"

Well maybe because you'd be stupid to refuse a free trip to Japan on first class, duh?

"Not really no."

"Ano…when I was reading Elsa-chan's palm, I saw something."

"What was it?"

Yano hesitated for a moment, her grip on Dino's arm tightened, "She came to meet someone here. Eto…I was afraid to tell you"

Luciano had it. "Boss this is ridiculous! She's obviously LYING!"

Yano's eyes started swelling with tears once again; she damn well knew how to cry just like that. And it definitely wasn't a good thing, knowing that Dino had his morals. She began to snivel and then looked at him with that timid, innocent and pristine expression she owned.

_Now I know how Elsa feels…_Luciano thought.

"Luciano, enough, I think you better start searching for Elsa now." Dino held her gently with his arm around her shoulder, allowing her to sob quietly against his chest. And anyone could just _picture _the look on Luciano's face. It was a mixture between a demon, a goblin, an angry dad, a combination of all four teletubbies and a mole—and boy were moles ugly. To put it straight he was about to strangle her to death, but obediently and faithfully, he stormed into his car cursing under his breath and sped off onto the main road, stupidly enough leaving the two alone. Yano's sobs grew quieter.

"Sorry…I don't know what's gotten into everyone," Dino sighed.

"Eto…it's okay, I understand I'm not a very likeable person…"

"That's not true!"

"I-I wasn't lying about Elsa coming here to meet someone…"

"I believe that!" He chuckled.

"I think it's best if you go look for Elsa-chan ne? I'm sure she needs you…"

Oh come on, the Cavallone boss persuaded by reverse psychology?

"After all the trouble I've caused, I think it's only fair that I make it up to you!" He flashed his goofy smile.

"A-Ano…are you sure? What about Elsa-chan?" She gazed at him with her wide, childish eyes, blinking her lashes at him.

"My men have gone out to look for her, and besides, she's a tough girl…she'll manage." Dino said, although he was not entirely confident with that. She smiled at him, her angelic smile, and he ruffled her hair. It remained tidy--which was strange, he wasn't use to that, Elsa's hair usually stuck up in all places when he did that.

"Eto…what are you doing?"

_Ah…I thought she was Elsa for a moment there…_

_xxxx_

"Hey kid, are we there yet?" Elsa moaned.

The infant continued smirking, his little feet carrying him through the quiet streets. They had been walking for almost an hour now, and wherever they were it sure wasn't the suburbs or anything. The roads were fairly quiet, and for some reason there were a lot of motels around the area, and women. Oh yes, there were _a lot _of women in tank tops and skimpy dresses.

"Gee, if this is where you live, it's worse than my hometown."

"We're here." He suddenly halted.

Elsa looked to the right. It was a bar, with fluorescent pink and yellow neon lights flickering on and off. She stood in front of the door, strangely enough there was no bouncer.

"Hey little boy, are you sure this is the right place…?"

"Yes. Just look for a man with a skull tattoo and tell him I'm here."

"Okay." She headed in with a heavy push and looked around. There were only men in this bar, which was just damn great since she happened to be looking for a man, made it a whole lot easier. She considered interrogating them one at a time and body checking for skull tattoos. She looked ahead and noticed the bartender looking at her with a haughty grin; he then nodded his head at a burly man on a stool. Elsa wasn't even old enough to drink, she wondered if she should be here. The burly man turned around and stared at her, a long hard stare, he then stood up and began walking towards her. He looked around six foot two from what she could see, and one thing's for sure, he had a mean face. She took a step back and began sweating as he neared her, she realized the men sitting at the tables around the bar began to glare.

"What do **you **want?" His voice was rough.

Elsa gulped, her pulse rate increased drastically. She searched for an answer or even a mere bluff in her head, but then she spotted a skull tattoo on his right arm.

"W-Well erm…your son is looking for you."

There was a long pause.

"EH? I couldn't here you!" He yelled more than asked. She jumped in surprise.

"Y-Y-Y-Your son is outside…a little boy with a black hat…" She stuttered.

The room burst into guffaws, even the bartender snickered rudely.

"My son? Who's the mother? YOU?"

Okay…NOW this was personal.

"Hey big guy, I'm not lying, he's right behind me see—"

The little boy was nowhere to be seen.

"What the—he was just there…"

She felt several hands grab her shoulder. She craned her head up at the menacing faces smirking down at her. Oh boy oh boy was she in for a treat.

"Hey it's been a long time since a _girl _came in here. Wanna play a game?"

"N-No thanks…I should be going back…"

"Oh don't be like that, it's a fun game, you'd like it, everyone other women on this street likes it."

Elsa began quivering in fear, her back was pressed against the wall, and for the first time since her engagement, she really wanted to use the power of her mafia boss' fiancée position to scare them off, but nothing came out but a stutter, "U-Uhh…"

"It's called strip poker."

And the last thing the little baby heard before exiting the dangerous streets of the scum was hoarse laughter erupting from inside the bar.

_xxxx_

"Ano…would you like to try the dessert Dino?" Yano chirped, offering to spoon feed him a small portion of her chocolate banana ice cream. He made no attempt to reply and was stuck in a daze whilst staring at his glass of lemon lime bitter.

"Dino?"

Still no reply. She pecked him on the cheek. Dino jerked back in surprise, spilling the drink across his shirt.

"Hey!"

His klutz self was back.

"E-Eto…s-sorry I can't believe I did that, you were too deep in thought so I…let me clean this up"

But before she could reach over and wipe across his damp shirt, his phone started ringing. He answered with a beep. Yano sat back in disappointment.

"Did you find her Romario?"

"Boss! Reborn says—" Romario's voice was suddenly cut off.

"Hello? Romario?" Dino was getting restless.

"Ciaossu," The familiar voice greeted.

"Reborn?!"

"If you want to find Elsa she's in the red light district right now."

"WHAT?!" Dino shouted, loud enough for the entire shop to stop in their tracks and stare at him.

"Last time I saw her she was being cornered by the yakuza in a pub with pink and yellow neon lights."

"Tell Romario to gather everyone there, I'm on my way!" Dino snapped his phone shut.

He abruptly jumped off the bench and dropped a bill on the table.

"Dino what's happened?" Yano asked, holding onto his arm.

"No time to explain I'm in a rush!"

"Then I'm coming too!"

Without another word, he made a run for it out the door, tripping once or twice, and stumbled into his car and turned the ignition on. He looked to the passenger seat beside him, Yano was taking her _SWEET_ **SWEET** time jogging slowly towards his car in exhausted puffs. His fingers fidgeted restlessly against the wheel, his foot was itching to kick hard on the pedal. She stopped midway and began to stretch her arms...and when she finally managed even each the car and seat herself **comfortably **he sped off onto road with the roar of the engine and raced for the red light district.

_xxxx_

"Straight flush."

"WHAT? Again?!"

"Grr…I bet you're cheating Elsa"

Elsa smirked at the beefy men. They had been at it for an half an hour already, and she'd gotten quite use to her new friends. Strip poker was not all as bad as she thought it would be, mainly because she kept winning and the boys had all agreed that once it reached your undergarments, you were out. Currently, the game was down to Elsa who had only lost her shoes, the brawny man with the skull tattoo she had met earlier that had lost his chains and shirt, and two men, one tall and lean, the other short and stubby, both almost down to their knickers. She obviously had no sense of shame in front of _these _people. Oh yeah, and she was on her fifteenth cup of sake.

"So Elsa, where did you come from?" Skinny asked.

"Hic…Italy," Elsa replied.

"Gee, whatta you doing all the way over here in Japan?" Stubby questioned.

"Ahaha…It's a long story…"

"We've got time, let us hear it." Brawny said.

"I'll just make it short…hic. My fiancé…hic…is a mafia boss and he dragged me…hic…over here by force."

"That's not very nice. Where is he now?"

"Flirting with some girl…hic."

"Elsa-chan! Aren't you mad?!"

"To be honest…hic…we're barely even friends! More like siblings…Ahaha…"

"Then why are you marrying him?"

"Who DOESN'T wanna marry money…hic…and boy is he HOT"

"HAHAHA I love this girl!"

"Straight flush!" Skinny finally yelled.

"Ahh…dang…can I just take my…hic…earring off?" Elsa threw her cards in the air, they scattered over the floor.

"No way! Everyone else has their shirt off but you!" Stubby protested.

"You perverts…but not as big of a perve as that stupid klutz! He's seen me NAKED…hic…" She burst into roars of laughter.

They all whistled and howled at the comment. Really, this was one effin seriously drunk girl.

"TAKE IT OFF ELSA!" They hooted, and then followed with a chant, "GO! GO! GO! GO!"

"I'm taking it off now!" Elsa began pulling her shirt over her head, it was halfway off until she toppled to the side with a thump. She was stuck with her arms in the arm, "I can't get it off guys…help?"

"Elsa hope you've worn black one!" Skinny called.

One of them reached over and tugged it over her head. She sat up with her skin shaded bra completely revealed. The men cheered and hooted, clapping as they shuffled over to congratulate her shameless act. She began swinging her shirt around in circles like a rodeo. And that was when Dino burst in.

"WHAT THE?!"

"Oh my…"

"Hic…oh _hello_ there...what a **handsome** guy…hic…do I know you from somewhere?"

Immediately, a whip was pulled out and several of the cheerful men were sent flying across the room, smashing into the bartender and shattering the shelves of alcohol in the process.

_Isn't Dino meant to be a klutz without his men? _Yano thought in that split second, she then turned back to Elsa.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" Brawny boomed.

Dino stormed over to Elsa and pulled her up by the arm, she teetered back and forth with her shirt dangling on the tip of her fingers. She landed face flat in his chest. Dino glanced down at the drunk, stupid, shameless, irritating, uncontrollable, unwomanly fiancée of his. He glared up at the men, he tightened his whip, "You asked for it…"

"BOSS! We're here!" Romario yelled, bursting in with Dino's hoard of men and their loaded pistols and machine guns. Elsa's pitiful new friends cowered in the corner of the bar.

"W-W-We weren't doing anything to her…s-she took it off herself…"

"It's true. Elsa was just having a friendly game of strip poker." Reborn cut in suddenly.

"STRIP POKER?!" That didn't make it any better.

"E-E-Elsa's fiancé is scary…" Stubby whimpered.

"And hot." Brawny muttered.

"What did you just say?"

Just as Dino was about to give them another whipping, Elsa wrapped an arm around his shoulder and began roughly kissing the nape of his neck. He froze like an icicle then. She held him firmly, moving down his collar bone, and up his neck again. They gaped at the bold girl. Dino turned red.

In reality her drunken thoughts were: _This chocolate ice cream has no taste._

Luciano, finally arriving at the scene, pushed the door open. He stepped in…then fainted. Sheesh, he was useful.

Dino stood there awkwardly, unable to move or speak, he remembered his shirt was still sticky and damp from the spill earlier, his neck felt hot. He could feel her soft lips moving delicately against his skin. Never had he been…well…attacked so boldly by a seventeen year old girl. But honestly, he didn't hate it. Oh, Dino.

Yano, suddenly snapping to her senses, peeled Elsa off him, causing Elsa to fall flat on the ground with a thud. She slept soundly on the floor. Yano just stared at the motionless girl. Dino collapsed to the floor beside Elsa, flabbergasted and still in shock. He felt around his burning neck to cool it down.

Romario cleared his throat,"S-Should we get going boss?"

"…yes."


	10. Plucking Cupid

_Disclaimer- Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. _

I might actually die from excess homework. Anyway, this chapter is completely centralized on Dino and Elsa. I figured we needed one of these, so the humor kind of died here, sorry. It's really short too, I didn't want to drag such a scene.

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

----------

_**Chapter **__**10**_

_**Plucking Cupid**_

"Nn…" Elsa rolled groggily off the bed.

Thump.

She'd hit her head on the corner of the side table. Elsa moaned and began flailing her arms about, trying to grab hold of something to pull herself up. She hooked her fingers onto the leg of the bed and sat herself upright; she buried her face in her sweaty palms and grunted.

"I feel…sick," She began rubbing the temples of her head, then got up and tottered her way to the bathroom. Elsa rinsed her face over and over again; she took glimpse at the mirror.

_Oh for crying out loud._

Her eye bags were even worse than yesterday, almost like dents under her eyes. Man was she smokin' hot this morning. She then snapped out of her brain dead state…what had she been doing all night and where the hell was she?

_Oh, shit._

That's right, the memories poured back into her. She blew up at Yano, said _your FACE _ to Dino just before making a run for it, moped around the streets of Namimori all day, tried to sleep in a hobo park, met a strange baby, let the baby take her to the red light districts, was tricked by the baby, met a bunch of gorillas, drank alcohol and got drunk, played strip poker with a bunch of gorillas, took off her shirt and flashed her unappealing bra, Dino burst in, big fight started, mistaken Dino for a jumbo chocolate ice cream on a stick, started licking and sucking on the chocolate ice cream up and down all over, got pulled off him and went unconscious after that.

Now what was she meant to say when Dino comes back? Preferably:

"_Oh hi Dino I'd just like to say I'm sorry for blowing up at you and showing you my butt-ugly bra while performing a strip show for a bunch of heck—who knows what type of people. Oh and I'm also sorry for getting my saliva all over your neck. I wasn't horny from the alcohol or anything, honest"_

Yeah, she figured that didn't sound right. And she wasn't a 'sorry' type of person, but she really did regret it. Ah what the heck, Dino probably was out shopping with Yano or something. That put her off.

Elsa, now in a very bad mood, pulled out a pair of khaki pants, a yellow tank top, and fresh undergarment s and went in the shower. The hot water was turned on full blast.

When she had finished, she got changed and stepped out the bathroom with a towel over her head, only to see this blonde smotty sitting on her bed with his arms folded across his chest. For a moment there, a dirty thought popped into her head…she was the client or course.

"D-D-D-D-Dino…" She stuttered.

The expression on his face told her he was waiting for an explanation. He was not happy, not happy at all. He unfolded his arms and leaned back, an indication he wasn't leaving her bed until something legible came out of her mouth.

"I…well…uhh…"

He stared at her.

"Err…where to start…?"

Then he began glaring at her.

"Damnit Dino what the hell do you want me to say?" She looked away from him.

"First, why not try telling me what you were doing in the red light district?" His voice was livid, but calm, which scared the jiggers out of her. It wasn't the first time, she guessed.

"I was trying to send a little boy home."

"In a pub?" He wasn't convinced.

"YES he led me to a pub alright." She huffed.

"Els, there is ridiculous, and then there is _**ridiculous**_."

"I'm telling the truth."

"I suppose you playing a game of strip poker with shady-looking men is the truth as well?"

"I was…" She muttered rather guilt-ridden, "…a little drunk."

Dino sighed, he brushed his hair back with his fingers. His eyes were tired, he was tired and Elsa de Luca wasn't making life any less tiring for him. He grimaced at her, "Maybe you should go back to Italy…"

"No."

"If you're going to constantly make me worry while you're here I think it's best if you left with Luciano."

Elsa bit her lip, "I'm not going anywhere stupid klutz."

"Well, there's no reason for you to stay anyway."

"Y-Yes there is…"

"And what's the reason?"

Okay, now Elsa was fucked. The last thing she wanted was for Dino to know the two utmost embarrassing reasons she wanted to come to Japan.

"Because I…" She started.

He waited for the answer.

"Well…" _The Vongola tenth was here so I…_

And waited.

"…wanted…" _And I well…_

And waited.

"…to…" _Just a little bit…_

Dino folded his arms again patiently.

"…see…" _Missed your stupid face?_

Elsa flushed madly; she threw her towel at Dino's head. He caught it just before it hit him but was suddenly pushed down as Elsa pounced on him. The bed shook with a thump. She pressed her arms against his shoulders, locking him to the bed. She gazed at him with an irritated frown, and he looked back at her wide-eyed in astonishment. What the—?!

"E-Els what are you—"

"I'M SORRY OKAY? I'm sorry you dumbass for yelling at you! I'm sorry for being an idiot and running away! Now stop interrogating me…it's damn irritating urgh…" She yelled in his face, bits of spit were landing on his cheek. Beautiful.

"Els you're completely off topic—"

"Just shut it and let me be…" Her face was on fire; she rolled off him and sat upright on the bed with her forehead and bangs buried in the palm of hands. She clenched her teeth and scowled at herself.

_Why the hell did I just do that…I feel dizzy…_

Elsa wasn't the brightest child on earth, but she wasn't stupid enough to not know what was happening to her right now. She could deny it, but she knew for a fact it was happening. The fifteenth time it had ever happened to her, and she wasn't happy about it at all. And Elsa was now prepared to do everything in her power to prevent it. Seeing her caught in her own little state of thoughts, Dino took the opportunity to tousle her hair. Elsa turned around and glared at him, and he poked a finger in between her brows.

"You frown too much Elsa." He smiled goofily, "It's nearly new years, try to look a little happier."

If it really was going to happen it would be best if she avoided it.

"D-Dino…?" She stuttered, shuffling away from him.

"Yeah?"

It would be best if it didn't happen a fifteenth time.

"Have you even been in love?"

Well fancy that. Dino looked at her, a little baffled and not knowing what to say. Love aye, it had been a long time, too long he could hardly even remember. Dino was 22, an age well passed highschool, and being a mafia boss never really gave him time to interact with women too much. There was the occasional introduction to another family's daughter, niece, sister, women related to the mafia, you name it, but other than that normal girls were out of the question—except for Yano of course, and Elsa.

"I guess…but what does that have to do with—"

She smiled at him. And that shut him up.

When Dino first met Elsa, it was already a determined verity that she never smiled. And if she smiled, it was not genuine; actually, he'd only seen her smile one other time which was back at the engagement party when he asked her to dance (which technically was a smile to mock him). And for the first time in the short while he had been with her, she actually smiled. It was such an…empty smile, though.

It went silent, not an awkward silence but a silence for them to drown in their own thoughts. Elsa then abruptly stood up.

"W-Well if t-that's all you wanted me to say then y-you can go now…" Elsa's irate frown came back.

"Haha, I'm completely free today. In fact, I'm still not done with you yet." Dino chuckled.

She cocked an eyebrow at him, this didn't sound good.

"I'll forgive you for last night and for yelling at me, but I want you to apologize to Yano at least." Oh hell no.

"Never."

"Els—"

"No."

"Hey listen—"

"No."

"If you don't I'll make you work for her instead."

"Hey…" Elsa twitched, that was the last thing she wanted to do.

"Think about it, it's only one word."

"FINE. You're a cruel person you know…?" Dino just chuckled at her, the sullen mood was still lingering around but at least most of it had gone.

Elsa smirked at the imbecile. Sure, it felt like the cliché sentiment was building up inside her bit by bit, but even if it did she would never let it out. For a perfectly legitimate reason too, love was for idiots, and she had spent too much of her highschool life being an idiot. Elsa grabbed his arm, and shooed him out her room.

_It would never happen._


	11. Declaration

_Disclaimer- Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. _

AH I HATE SCHOOL. Who doesn't…really?

**A/N Important: **So first I've got some things to say before you read this chapter. I want to thank you all who have supported this story! No it's not ending don't worry…I just wanted to express my gratitude. Did you know the first time I wrote this story I only anticipated it to last 3 chapters? No joke. Honestly the response is amazing, and seriously when you guys review I DO read it over and over again! It gives me a little push (a big one actually). I enjoy writing, I'm not great at it but I'm learning haha…Elsa really is an OC I can play around with, and please tell me if she is ever approaching Mary-sue (hope she's not one already) because seriously the word Mary-sue and I are like diabolical enemies. I'll burn them all one day.

Please continue to review and support this story, I'm very grateful, thank you :)

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

* * *

_**Chapter **__**11**_

_**Declaration**_

New years: a time for festivity.

New years: when Elsa de Luca is once again throwing an angry fit.

"Jeez Els, what's so bad about wearing one?" Dino sighed.

"I-It won't look right on me." Elsa stuttered, taking several cautious steps back.

Dino held it out in front of her, "What are you talking about? You'll look fine!"

Elsa and Dino had been at it for an hour. It was officially the start of a new year and Dino was spending the first morning trying to force Elsa into a robe-like dress. He told her it was a tradition in Japan, but heck screw tradition, there was no way she was wearing a curtain outside.

"For the last time it's not a bed sheet, it's a _yukata_. You've learnt Japanese, you know what it is…"

"What the hell are you talking about Dino? I'm not wearing it."

Dino gave her a skeptical look, he wasn't buying it, most people didn't object this much about wearing something as nice as this. There obviously some kind of story behind it. But ah well, no point arguing with this stubborn cow. He sprawled it on the bed and headed for the door.

"Alright Els. Fine. You don't have to wear it, but we're going in five minutes make it quick."

Elsa, smirking triumphantly at her victory, pulled out a pair of baggy black pants and slopped on a loud shirt that read '_arrabbiato'_. Incidentally it reflected on what she felt on a daily basis, and when she walked out the door with the disappointingly plain attire, Dino felt like sulking in the corner—but he did find the shirt rather amusing.

Today, it was only Romario and Luciano tagging along, which meant a dramatic decrease in gawking passersby. Of course, there was still the occasional 'wow look at those foreigners' stare, and the 'oh look at that drop-dead-gorgeous hottie' stare. Recently the second stare was starting to bug Elsa a fair bit. She forced herself to believe it was only natural (if that was even an excuse). Well at least she got to spend some quality time with Dino; this was the first time she'd been taken out by him, and she was going to pretend Romario and Luciano weren't there, just block them out of her mind. It was just going to be just her and—

"Dino!" Yano chirped, jogging ever-so-gleefully toward him in her flowery yukata or whatever it was. She wedged her arms around his neck and embraced him a tad too intimately. Elsa twitched. A wave of disappointment collapsed on her.

"Happy new year Yano, "Dino responded with a more casual hug, and peeled her arms from around his neck, "Glad you could come."

Elsa twitched again. _Dino you son of a bitch._

She scrapped the _quality time_ idea. This was going to one heck of a start of a new year. What made matters worse was that things were still pretty icy between Yano and Elsa since Elsa's forced apology. Well, even if things did blow over, Elsa would still undoubtedly hate her guts. She forced a grin, the corners of her lips wincing.

"Elsa-chan, Happy new year!" Yano dove in for a tight hug; Elsa stumbled back as she pounced onto her.

"H-Happy new year…" Elsa held back the searing irritation building up inside her. _S-She's touching me…_

Yano swirled around in her traditional attire. Elsa had to admit she looked remarkably pretty in it—well she was pretty anyway—a pang of envy sliced through her. Sigh, if only she looked more feminine, she thought. Dino's cheeks flushed a slight pink.

_I don't care. I don't care what that bastard thinks, _Elsa clenched her teeth.

xxxx

Okay, maybe she did care a little…just a **little**. Well, it wasn't like Yano was glued to Dino like a leech and dragging him around the festival and hogging him to herself. Elsa bit her lip irritably, she'd been sporadically twitching, frowning and growling for the passed half an hour.

_Damn leech…this was meant to be precious quality time._

"A-Ano Dino, could you get that for me?" Yano pointed at a game stall, a pink panda was stashed on a shelf with a target behind it. Elsa could only feel sick at the cliché lovey-dovey mood this little wretch was trying to put on, and that was one ugly plushy anyway. Romario followed obediently behind them—couldn't say the same for Luciano thought, who was currently gnawing on a handkerchief furiously with his eyes bulging out at them—he wasn't alone. Gah what the heck, she thought, time to make a run for it, seeing Dino's obliviousness toward her existence made her irate frown deeper by the minute. Elsa strolled the opposite way without a word and headed for a line of food stalls. Food: her best friend. She reached in her pocket for some cash—

"OH SHIT!" She cried, loud enough for the people around her to jump, and then stare, "No money…"

She collapsed to her knees in disbelief. Of all things, why did she forget to scab money off Dino?! She leapt back up and dashed back to the game stall, she looked around frantically.

"R-Romario? Luciano?" She called. They were nowhere to be found in the midst of the bustling crowd.

_Great. _Now what was she meant to do. Sure, she was lost just a few days ago, but that was deliberate, this time she wasn't prepared to live a hobo life. Elsa was craving for food, and gosh did those octopus balls look good. She stood beside the stall and stared intently at the round, scrumptious, mouth-watering balls of delight, rolling in the shaped grill. Elsa almost drooled…_almost_. Her stomach grumbled loudly, she rubbed it with a sigh. Today was just not her luck.

"Tsuna! Lambo wants this! Nyahahaha!" A bratty little voice chortled.

"Alright, alright." A young boy with bizarre brown hair pulled out a purse and sighed. Elsa's eyes lit up at sound of coins tingling as he dropped them in the tiny palm of a little boy with a peculiar afro and cow skin suit. She scooted over slowly, nearing the young boy.

_Hmm, maybe I could __ask him…_

"Hey you, twerp. Hand over the money or else." Maybe threaten was a better word.

The boy turned and stared at her strangely, "Err…?"

Well, this just about showed Elsa was not one bit mafia quality. Her attempted menacing glare looked more like a pout…unfortunately it didn't turn out like the day she blew up at Yano. _That _glare was pretty damn scary. Her stomach began to rumble, she blushed. The boy sweat dropped.

xxxx

Elsa chomped down the buns in wholes. At the same time she couldn't help but sob tearlessly in her head with gratitude, she had tough image to keep though. The boy had introduced himself as Tsunayoshi Sawada—or otherwise just Tsuna—a kind hearted person he was. After he had seen her pleading face, dying for a bite, he figured she wouldn't have left him alone if he didn't at least treat her to something.

"Y-You're eating too fast…" He stuttered.

Elsa wolfed down the last bun in the bag and sighed with satisfaction. She turned to Tsuna and bit her lip, rather ashamed of herself.

"T-Thanks…you saved me…"

"No problem..."

The mood was rather awkward. Elsa scratched her head uneasily, "Erm...have you seen a blonde foreigner walking around?"

"No…"

Elsa laid her pride down.

"D-Do you think I could…follow you for a bit. I'm kind of (really) lost…" She stammered.

Tsuna, once again not wanting to be rude, reluctantly agreed. He just hoped this foreigner was not another crazy Italian hitman, "I guess."

"I'm Elsa…"

And this was a conversation between two hapless people. Elsa could tell she was going to get along with this boy named Tsuna very well. She tagged along silently, watching Tsuna handle his little brother that looked nothing like him and a little girl with a huge head spouting gibberish Elsa couldn't understand. Tsuna sure had strange siblings…

"Tsuna, Mama's calling you." A familiar childish voice spoke.

_GAH! It's him!_

"You…" Elsa gaped.

"Ciaossu." Reborn greeted.

There was a ruffled noise coming from the speakers in the distance as the microphone was turned on.

"_Attention everyone! We have a missing person announcement, we're looking for an Erusade Ruka—"_

"_It's Elsa de Luca…"_

"_Oh sorry, I mean Erusa de Ruka, approximately 165cm, 17 years old, brown hair, wearing black and white, Italian girl. Your…what are you?"_

"_Fiancée"_

"_What?!…I thought you were single…if I knew I wouldn't have—Ah! You're…bleh…fiancé Dino is looking for you! Please head to the performance stage at the front!...and here I thought I could get his number…"_

The loudspeaker ceased with a crackle.

Tsuna looked at her. Elsa was frozen stiff.

"D-Dino? You don't mean…" Tsuna turned to Reborn.

"Dino's getting married to this girl."

"EH?! Wow I didn't…"

"Wait…y-you…y-you're…" Elsa stuttered, a finger pointed at Reborn's tiny self, "T-The Arcabaleno…R-Reborn…"

Reborn smirked. What a small world this happened to be.

"Tsuna, I'll be back."

xxxx

"Romario did you find her?!" Dino cried. Yano was linked to his arm pulling him back every now and then. Luciano was on the very edge of his seat and hadn't spoken a single word this whole time, he was itching to throw a punch on this sticky girl. Yano gently placed both hands on Dino's face and drew him towards her, she gazed at him with an anxious look.

"Dino, calm down. I'm worried about Elsa as much as you but…" She began forcing tears to well in her eyes, "Eto…I know she's a strong girl, so please don't make me worry about _both _of you…"

"She's not even making any sense…" Luciano grumbled under his breath. She really wasn't.

Dino smiled, grasping on her wrists and pulling them away from his cheeks, "You have no idea how troublesome she is."

"Um…boss…" Romario broke in.

"Yes?" Dino responded, his hands still locked around Yano's wrists.

"You might want to turn around…"

Dino turned, only to see a twitching and shaking Elsa glaring with a—this time it actually worked out—menacing frown. Reborn stood beside her with an amused look, he was not very proud of his old-time student, not proud at all. Luciano gawped at the situation, and he prayed that Elsa wouldn't demand to head back to Italy, because if he did it would be the end of his life when Yano took over.

"You're an asshole Dino." Elsa spat. _A real asshole._

"Wait, this isn't—"

"But I don't care." She turned to Yano, and pulled out a ring from her pocket, "Because it's none of my business."

"Els, It's a misunder—"

"At least that's what I would have said, "Elsa yanked him away from Yano by the collar, and knocked her forehead against his. Her hands grew warm as she slid one arm around his neck and pulled him down to her level, "But now I know why it _is _my business."

She whispered harshly in his left ear, causing him to shudder, "Because you're fortune. Is mine."

Elsa shoved Dino away from her again, and screwed the ring on her finger, "Let me get this straight in your head Yano Watari. I am Dino's fiancée. "

Dino stumbled back a little nauseous from the surprise. He then began chuckling, which gradually turned into laughter, he drooped his arm across Elsa's shoulder, "Where'd you run off to Els?"

"A place far away from you stupid klutz."

"I see you've met my tutor." Dino ruffled her hair with a goofy smile, Elsa grabbed his arm and sank her teeth into his flesh.

"YOUCH!" Dino jerked his arm back, "Why'd you bite me?!"

"Shut up and don't touch me. I come back after who knows how long and you're already flirting, I have a right to bite you."

"You've made a good choice." Reborn said, standing in between Romario and Luciano.

"It's going to take a while." Romario grinned, then handed Luciano a coffee cup, "But it will happen."

"I hope so…" Luciano muttered, taking a sip.

Meanwhile, Yano stood silently behind them with a smile. A sweet, innocent…diabolical smile. She was not happy, not happy at all. Dino belonged to her, and that was a fact. Dino had always belonged to her, he cared about her, he was always nice to her, he gave her every bit of attention she needed and wanted. Sure, girls could envy her, she knew she was hot and that she could pluck any boy from a crowd if she liked, but Dino's presence had made her feel even more special, he was a foreigner, rich _and _hot. Boys were like toys, and this was one toy she was not going to give up.

This was war.

* * *

_arrabbiato _- Angry_  
_


	12. Vongola Versus Competition

_Disclaimer- Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. Or any dialogue from chapter 31._

**VERY IMPORTANT PLEASE READ: **I am just going to say that I will NOT tolerate plagiarism or taking ones idea as a 'prompt' when it sounds ridiculously the same. Have some creativity dammit and some consideration for people that actually take the time to think up the ideas too. And don't even think about spouting the stupid excuse "it's a common plot" because that's just being damn right childish. Grow up. I just had to state that after hearing a story from a friend of mine.

Sorry for the late update everyone, forgive me I had writer's block and also assignments bombarding me. I'm also currently obsessed with Noctis for the coming Final Fantasy Versus XIII, he's so hot it's not even funny, he's so hot it's a sin.

Oh yes, this is chapter 31 in the manga, the one with the 'Family vs Family' new years game. Yes I know it's very far back from the latest chapter. It'll progress quite fast though. I'm using onemanga scans as because Viz Media translations sound stupid. And NO I am NOT going to write every goddamn word in the chapter.

Apologies for the long A/N, I hate it too, looks so ugly, I promise no more for next chapter.

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way, this chapter will, however, contain dialogue from the original manga, borrowed. _

* * *

_**Chapter **__**12**_

_**Vongola Versus Competition**_

Elsa felt obliged to do it today. It was one of those sudden change-of-mind moments when you realize it's the only way to go about it. And a girl as easily peeved off as her was definitely not one to accept a loss (of fortune).

And all this was decided after a sly son-of-a-bitch invited the Cavallone pimp and his two concubines along for a little gathering on the last day of new years. Yes, Reborn was a psychological mastermind, he had told Romario and Luciano—according to his calculations—that Elsa would actually _want _to wear a Yukata today. Luciano's first reaction was to laugh til the snot in his nose flew out and rained on Romario's face, and of course the response was a gun to his temple.

Dino blinked several times with a flabbergasted stare, "Can you repeat that?"

"I-I want to wear a—whatever that thing is called—Yu-something…today."

"Really?!"

"Yes."

"Hey, that's great! What made you change your mind?"

Elsa blushed irritably, "N-Nothing in p-particular."

Well actually, the reason was quite obvious. Ever since the first day of the new year, she was a bit (very) envious of Yano's pretty-refreshing-girl appearance, and she still hadn't forgotten the 'Dino holding Yano's hands so lovingly' incident. For Vongola's sake, Dino shared suite with her and didn't even make a small _attempt _to attack her in _any _way. They say men, regardless of the girl, will turn into an animals when in the same room with the opposite sex—then again this was Elsa de Luca we're talking about. Anyway if Elsa liked it, it wasn't considered sexual abuse, more like passionate—

"Well then, let's get you change"

"I want Luciano please."

Dino sighed, "Fine."

Elsa was blushing madly enough, and really, she wanted this damn klutz to see the finished product, his klutziness would turn her into a living horror, anyway. And there was also this sweet unbiased love she had to consider, she wondered whether this decision was because of money or her growing affection for Dino.

_Fuck, what am I thinking?_

She was going to laminate a hundred dollar bill tomorrow and make it her personal reminder to stray a mile away from such a bothersome emotion. She was sure it was only temporary anyway.

xxxx

"Hey, why do I have to help you?" Luciano frowned, a bag of make up in one of his big hands and a brush in the other.

"Because if you don't then that's telling me you must really want Yano to be Dino's beloved wife. And when she does become his wife, they'll have maybe six or so little prats, three girls frolicking in their repulsively bright frilly skirts and three boys tripping here and there with their killer-smiles glued to their faces, and then you'll also have to handle a daily basis of moaning and groaning echoing the mansion coming directly from the tenth Cavallone boss' master bedroom." Elsa smirked, "Do you want that?"

Luciano shook his head frantically. He'd be in hysterics if that ever happened.

"This is also a once in a lifetime opportunity for you to use your skills that you've been hiding."

"YOU HAVEN'T TOLD ANYONE HAVE YOU?!"

Elsa sighed, "If I wanted to die I would've done that a long time ago you big oaf."

Luciano's smacked his hands onto her shoulders, she yelped in pain.

"Call me that one more time."

"S-Sorry..."

Luciano took a long look at her; he tilted her head back and forth, examining her not-so-striking features.

Elsa sighed, "Just do the best you can…"

"You know, Elsa, you're not ugly."

"But I'm not the latter either."

"I'll agree on that. But make-up can do a lot."

"I know."

"And so can falling in love…" Luciano muttered under his breath. _Oh god, that was cheesy._

"What?"

"Shut up and sit still!" He unzipped the bag and yanked out a brush. His hands moved swiftly and flawlessly, and that was when the magic was applied, Luciano's personal enchantment on the 17-year-old girl from a rural, unknown town in Italy. She was beginning to regret this.

"Hey Elsa…?"

"What?"

_He's calling me Elsa again_, she thought.

"I take back what I said about wanting you to get out of the engagement. Anyone but Yano…" Luciano grumbled—his innocent attempt at apologising.

"I know." She turned her head to the side.

Luciano put on his daunting glare, "Stop moving."

xxxx

"Ano…good morning Dino, Happy New Year again ne?" Yano greeted, bowing in her even flashier new years dress, this time a striking pink.

"You're looking nice, Happy New Year?"

"Eto, is that all you have to say? You're so cruel ne~"

"Sorry sorry, you look cute!" Dino chuckled.

"Ano, is Elsa-chan not here yet?"

"She should be here by now—"A wooden slipper hit the back of his head, causing him to stumble forward. He grappled for something to grab hold onto before he could topple over, then felt someone grab onto his wrist before he could. Regaining his balance, he turned around to thank the person, and that was when he gawked, eyes widened with astonishment. Elsa was glowering at him, but not with her usual sharp I'm-so-gangster eyes, but the eyes of a random foreigner that happened to be passing by perhaps?

"What are you staring at Bucking-Horse?" She let go of his wrist, causing him land butt-first on the ground with a thud.

"E-Elsa?"

"Eto, Dino I don't think this is Elsa-chan. She looks nothing like her…"

"HEY!" Elsa squawked, "Stop making crap up, it's me alright."

"Eto…she's scary…p-please stop bothering us…"

Well, at least it meant she looked good enough for Yano to be worried. But dang, Elsa felt really cut knowing without all the make-up and gunk slopped on her face she was just a plain nobody. Dino approached her and brushed a lock of hair to the side of her face, he stared with uncertainty which really pissed her off. He slapped away his hand, pulled her dress up and trampled on his foot, "Fuck you."

Dino collapsed to his knees, cooing at his foot, "Y-Yep….It's Elsa all right."

"Ah! Dino!" Yano snuck an arm around him gently, "Elsa-chan! Dino didn't mean it. It's just…you look very…_**different **_from usual."

Was that an insult? or a compliment she refused to spit out? Elsa didn't know, she picked up her slipper and slid it on her left foot. She turned to Luciano with a thwarted expression on his face. Well, it really wasn't the reaction they were both hoping for from the Cavallone boss. Elsa smiled at him apologetically. She was right; the hot boys always went for the better looking opposite sex. Maybe she could try shifting over to girls—no. Never mind that.

They walked down the road, 'they' including Dino's hoard of men, arriving at a row of common houses.

"What are we doing here?" Elsa questioned.

"We're here to see Sawada-san" Romario answered.

"Sawada? Is that the one you mentioned?" Yano asked, her arms were tied around his.

"He's my little brother" Dino replied.

"I didn't know you had a little brother?" Elsa frowned, there were a lot of things she didn't know about him, and well, she _tried _not to be uptight about it.

"Ano. Not _literally_ his brother, Reborn's new student. Eto. I thought you would have known as his bride-to-be Elsa-chan ne?"

Elsa griped through her clenched teeth, "Well god I'm _sorry_."

"Eto, I didn't mean…"

Elsa began gnawing on her sleeves furiously. _I…Elsa de Luca…will __**not**__ pound this little __**prick's**_ _face to a bloody pulp._

Not that she would dare.

Walking a few blocks down the road, Elsa could see a group of children loitering outside a house, and incidentally they were heading towards them.

"Dino-san…and all his men?!!" A voice cried.

"We came here to play new year's Family versus battle in Vongola style," The Cavallone boss responded with his suave grin, "It's my first time seeing some of you, nice to meet you."

"Nice you to meet you too" A petite girl wearing a similar festivity dress to Elsa's bowed. Elsa glanced at her up and down. Damn, she was still a middle-schooler yet already this cute. Not to mention the girl with a darker hair beside her as well. The generations were getting better looking by the year, why wasn't Elsa part of it? She thought.

"Yo!" An energetic boy with a turf top head greeted. Elsa glanced behind him; there were two others, one of them a gray-haired foreigner, Italian perhaps?

"Eh wait…what is this Vongola ceremony thing…?" Elsa recognised that hapless voice from anywhere. She lunged herself out of Dino's crowd, "Tsuna?"

"Who…?" Tsuna blinked with a puzzled expression. Well, a foreign chick was waving her arms at him, and a pretty cute one too, and he didn't know any cute foreign chicks apart from Bianchi.

Elsa frowned irately. Was she _that _butt-ugly without gunk on her face? She didn't even know if it was a compliment or a plain insult, and if Dino wasn't impressed by Luciano's work of art, that just meant he thought of her as a butt-whooping-monstrous face. Oh joy.

"It's…Elsa. From the festival?"

"Eh! You're Dino's fiancée…"

"Ah…you could say that…"

"You're getting married? Congratulations!" An overly jolly-looking guy spoke from behind the turf-top.

"HAHI! How lovely!" One of the girls behind Tsuna squealed.

"Thanks" Dino scratched his head, a little smitten. What was there to be blushing about? Elsa thought, the fact it was someone as pathetic as her? It really didn't feel good at all; it kind of...hurt a little.

xxxx

Well, after some short introductions. Elsa had found out that turf-head was called Ryohei Sasagawa, jovial-face was Takeshi Yamamoto, the egg-head child was I-Pin, the bratty infant was Lambo, the peculiarly orange haired girl, Kyoko, was the sister of Ryohei, and russet brown haired girl that for some reason kept yelling out 'HAHI' was Haru Miura. What got her amazed was that the foreign-looking guy happened to be _THE _Smoking-bomb Hayato Gokudera from the Vongola family. Now why on earth would he be here?

"No grudges held, regardless of who wins Tsuna" Dino grinned.

"I will be the judge" Reborn said, seating himself in an umpire's chair.

"How did it turn out this way!?" Tsuna squawked.

Of course, Elsa had no intention in joining this ridiculous game, Arcabaleno or not, mafia did not play with little middle-schoolers and infants. Well overall, mafia was nothing like she thought it up to be.

"Eto…nice to meet you, I'm Yano, Dino's closest friend." It was only natural Yano would start her sweet, innocent act with the others, and of course they'd fall for it. Elsa sat beside Luciano, and together they grumbled, whined and glared with hawk-eyes at Yano. The competition continued, and Elsa was beginning to bore to death, what was the whole point of dressing up nicely in the first place, she wasn't having a very great start to the year.

She stood up abruptly, turning to the left, "Luciano, I'm going for a walk."

"I'll come with you"

Elsa sighed, "I meant I need to pee, but if you insist on joining—"

"Yeah I'll stay here"

With a smug smile she following the river and headed under the bridge, the distance between herself and her dim-witted fiancé that paid no attention to her whatsoever, widened with every step. And she was sure he wouldn't notice her absence anyway, which was pretty doubtful, since she was looking back every five seconds or so.

_Dino you bastard, it's your fault I'm dressed like an idiot and acting like an idiot. Gah, I need to get a hold of myself, god knows what I'll do next_, she thought while pinching herself hard on the cheeks. She jogged further down the river until even the sight of Tsuna's wild, big hair was no longer visible, and lay on the verdant ground with her arms behind her head. The clips pressed painfully into her head. She began to daydream.

_**Four years ago…**_

_"Ah! Elsa, come va?" A cute, young brunette boy slung his arm over a much younger looking Elsa's shoulder. Her hair was short, very short, which gave her a tomboy look. _

_"I-I'm good…" She blushed, her hands clasped together awkwardly._

_"Are you free tomorrow?"_

_"Relatively…"_

_"Great! Bring a basketball and meet me here!"_

_"O-Okay…"__ The young Elsa smiled._

_xxxx_

_Elsa swung her legs back and forth whilst sitting on the bench with a carroty orange basketball clutched in her hands. A silly grin played on her lips as she waited for him to turn up. She heard voices in the distance and feet shuffling quickly on the ground. She felt a sudden sharp tug on her hair and fell back on the dirt ground, the ball dropped from her hands and rolled to the side. _

_"It hurts!" She peered up at the perpetrators, one being the same brunette boy. _

_"Gahahaha, is this her?!"_

_"Ew? This girl likes you? I feel for you man"_

_"And you say she follows your __**every **__order?"_

_"Yep." The brunette smirked spitefully._

_"Hey girl, do you like spaghetti or macaroni?"_

_Elsa's lips wavered in response._

_"Eh? Is she a mute? Ah well, I think spaghetti works for someone as scrawny as you"_

_"I found one!"_

_The young Elsa began shaking furiously as a long, succulent, squirming worm caught between two fingers came towards her. _

_"It needs a little flavoring." The brunette peppered a handful of god knows what on the slimy little thing, "Hey keep her mouth open, I want the whole thing in."_

_The brunette took it from the other boy, her hovered the now-gray writhing thing above Elsa's mouth. A hand was cupped under her chin, fingers pressed on the sides of her mouth, forcing an opening. Tears began welling in her eyes as she trembled, sweat trickled down her forehead._

_"Hey Elsa, I forgot to tell you I only date __**pretty**__ girls. Can you imagine me dating __**you**__? Your mum's a slut and your dad's a drunkard, you're a plain dunce and you've got no friends…" He brushed stroked the side of her cheek as his smirk grew, "…That's why It's so fun torturing you."_

_Elsa began gagging and sobbing with tears. The worm twisted in a spiral as it hovered dangerously above her lips, then squirmed around as it touched the tip of her small tongue. The dirt wiped onto the corners of her mouth. She felt the furious moving of the slimy thing struggling and flicking about. That was when __**he **__pushed it up with a finger, stabbing the creature against her canine tooth with a squish._

_And he was Elsa's first love._

_**xxxx**_

"Elsa?!" That annoying voice yelled.

"GET YOUR FILTHY LITTLE HANDS OFF ME YOU TWERPS!" Elsa slapped the blonde Italian with a piercing crack and sat up half-awake.

"Ow…" Dino rubbed his now bruised cheek, "What did I do this time…?"

Elsa, shook her head dizzyingly. She then realized she just back-handed her fiancé on the face for no reason. She recoiled back, "S-Sorry, bad dream."

"I know, you were scaring the crap out of me. I thought you were going to burst out crying!" Dino shouted.

She swung an uppercut at his chin. He fell backwards, "Shut up. I do not cry Bucking-Horse"

"Ouch…alright alright…come back already the competition is over" He said, standing up and dusting his pants. He then offered her his hand; she looked up at him with a doubtful expression. He tilted his head in confusion, "What's wrong?"

She grabbed a hold of his hand, "Nothing. Nothing at all. "

When she got up, Dino didn't let go. Elsa tugged back, his grip remained firm. She swung to the left, he still didn't let go. She cocked an eyebrow at him, "Let go."

He suddenly caressed her behind the ear. She jumped back in shock, "The hell are you doing?!"

"I forgot to say how beautiful my fiancée looks today."

Elsa went beetroot. She was burning like hot tar. That took her by surprise…he sure kept her waiting. She wasn't going to dress up for a long time now. She shoved him to the side, "A METER DISTANCE."

Dino chuckled, walking ahead of her, "By the way, it was undecided in the end."

"Eh?"

"Poison Scorpion came in last minute. She's chasing Tsuna right now, poor guy." He sighed, reminiscing his youth.

….

"Did you say…Poison Scorpion Bianchi…?"

"Hm? Yes?"

She fainted.

_

* * *

_

_Come va? – ____how are you?_


	13. Past and Present

_Disclaimer- Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. _

Oh this chapter has a lot of switching back and forth from past to present, and it drifted from the humor genre as well. Bear with me.

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

----------

_**Chapter **__**13**_

_**Past and Present  
**_

_**3 Years ago…**_

_Elsa leaned her head sluggishly on the table against her tattered books. Every word that came out of the teacher's mouth went straight through one ear and out the other. _

_A chalk was thrown at her, "WAKE UP ELSA!"_

_"Y-Yes…"_

_"You can sleep all you want after class and fail your exam tomorrow" _

_Elsa sighed, and flipped her shabby book open. She could hear the hostile snickers and mutters erupting around her. But thankfully this girl had long been accustomed to this type of daily treatment. It started when she was teased for eating worms, then it built up when she flunked all her yearly exams, she was first pushed into ditch at the beginning of the year, then beaten up by five girls for being a 'loser' the following week. By then she had lost most of her previously happy-go-lucky traits and had become a timid, shy and conserved girl._

_The bell rang abruptly, and Elsa shuffled out the classroom with her books against her chest. A foot was stuck out by a passerby as she walked along the corridor, but before she could stop, her clumsiness—as a result of her slow-reaction—caused her to topple over with a crash. Her arms and legs were sprawled on the ground with her forehead flat against the hard floor. She realized the bottom half of her felt rather breezy. Bare and breezy. _

_"Nice underwear El-GA!" A girl sneered harshly, followed by the cruel giggles of her supposed minions behind her.. _

_Elsa sat herself up, gathering the books that were scattered across the floor. A hand whipped across her face with a piercing crack._

_"Loser got no friends! Loser got a slut for a mother and a drunkard for a father!" The girl cackled._

_Elsa picked up the last of her books and jumped up, running off hastily without looking back, ignoring the throbbing pains from the undeserved slap. When she reached the back of the school building, she collapsed down on the earthy floor and began bawling her tears out. She sniveled and sobbed, her tears building up a wet patch on her second-hand skirt. She continued to cry until a tissue was shoved into her hands. _

_"A fourteen year old girl shouldn't be crying like that." Elsa looked up, a dark-haired, fine-looking boy kneeled before her. She blushed, humiliated. He pulled her up by the arm and dusted her skirt. She shoved him back shyly and ran off, leaving her books behind. _

_**xxxx**_

Her eyes latched open and she sat up in a dizzy state. A damp handkerchief dropped from her forehead, she looked around her. Dino was sitting beside her cross-legged while Yano grumbled incoherently beside him. Laying a meter to her right was smoking-bomb Hayato Gokudera in a state of possibly constipation or dehydration. What had happened while she was blacked-out from the shock that…POISON-SCORPION BIANCHI WAS HERE?!

"Elsa you're finally awake" Dino sighed.

"We were so worried." Yano said unconvincingly without even a smile. Gah, Elsa ignored them and began pulling the painful clips from her hair. Her disheveled locks fell out, dangling just above her shoulders.

"Hayato pull yourself together." That deep, mesmerizing voice spoke.

Elsa froze. "P-Poison S-Scorpion…"

"Hm? Do I know you?" Bianchi replied.

_I'm seeing things aren't I…Smoking-bomb and Poison Scorpion in one go…_

She grabbed her future husband by the collar and drew him towards her, "DINO…Why? Who? Where? Vongola?"

"Didn't I tell you Tsuna is the tenth generation Vongola boss?"

"NO?!" She squawked. The Vongola boss had been right in front of her eyes for the past (god knows) week or so and Dino hadn't told her a **thing**. Really, she didn't know who or what to start with. Her entire body was burning into charcoal from bashfulness, her second most admired after the first Vongola boss was less than a meter beside her. And damn was she hot, Elsa would swing the other way for her **any **time—well no she wouldn't—but this was probably the happiest moment in her life. She wanted to talk to Bianchi, but honestly what could a hopeless girl like her say to a renowned freelance assassin?

"Measure…ments?"

Real smooth Elsa, real smooth conversational skills. She really needed to get out more.

"You want to know my measurements?" Bianchi asked.

Yano turned to Dino, making sure he didn't have any 'eyes' for Bianchi. He seemed a little more traumatized than mesmerized, though.

"No, I didn't mean…you…I'm a…fan…?"

"Is that so? Who are you anyway?"

"She's my fiancée, Elsa" Dino cut in.

Bianchi glared at him rather menacingly, "I didn't ask you"

"Jeez, sorry"

"Love is such a wonderful thing, and here you are destroying its meaning, Dino."

"What are you talking about Poison Scorpion?" Dino blinked.

"Don't play dumb with me. You're playing two girls at once right before my eyes"

"Oh no you've got it all wrong, we're bound politically" Elsa said.

"Really? I can see the love—"

"DINO WHERE IS TSUNA? Damn you for not telling me about the Vongola boss being here…" Elsa cut in.

"It's not his fault!" Yano scowled at her. When was she ever included in this conversation?

"Ugh, call me when we're ready to go…" Elsa muttered, and then turned back to Poison Scorpion with her calm and **collected **façade, her arms folded across her chest (for some reason she thought Mafioso did that), "It was nice meeting you. I hope we can meet in the battlefield as allies in the coming future."

Slap a cow. That was so damn lame it hurt.

"…yes" Bianchi looked at her oddly, as if she were some obsessive-stalking-weirdo that needed rehab desperately. She'd be surprised how right she was. Glimpsing over at Dino and Elsa again, a little smirk grew on her lips, "Good luck with love."

_Urgh, as much as I admire her, she and I wouldn't click with the love thing_, Elsa thought. She stood up and wobbled a little, before walking off towards Tsuna.

Dino stumbled as he got up and went after her, "Hey Elsa I think you should sit down…"

Yano got up to follow, "Wait! Dino—"

"You're staying with me" Bianchi said, pulling her back to the ground.

_**3 Years ago…**_

_The young Elsa hid quietly behind the school gate, waiting for the last of them to leave. She cursed at herself for leaving her books on the ground so carelessly, if she was found out by anyone she'd almost certainly receive a new set of bruises just for being a dork or something nonsensical. Best thing to do now was to wait._

_"Hey!" A familiar voice chirped. _

_Elsa froze. Had she been caught?_

_"Girl from this afternoon, whatcha doing out here?" The same dark-haired boy that had witnessed her pathetic sobbing came from behind her._

_"N-Nothing…I…" Elsa prepared to make a run for it again._

_He grabbed her by the arm, "Hey wait, you dropped these!"_

_He held out her books._

_"Thank you…" But before she could take them, he snatched them away. She jumped back, startled._

_"Before I give them back to you, let's hang out" He smiled warmly, causing her to blush at his charming features. What would such a good looking guy want with this ugly dunce? Elsa thought. He began walking towards the back of the school building, motioning her to come over, and without much of a choice she followed silently. He led her to the same spot where she had been bawling her tears out. This was probably another prank or something, she thought. _

_"P-Please…" Elsa muttered._

_The boy stopped in his tracks, "Hm?"_

_"Just…get it over and d-done with…"_

_He cocked an eyebrow at her oddly, "What are you talking about?"_

_"Y-You're going to do s-something to me r-right?"_

_"Eh?"_

_"Like…dump me in the toilet bowl or throw snails at me"_

_The boy burst into guffaws, then gave her a hard whack on the back, "Please! What kind of life have you been living?"_

_A pretty shit one._

_"I'm just a little interested in you!" He chuckled, causing her to turn beetroot._

_"Interested…in me?"_

_"Yeah, what's your name?" He asked._

_Elsa smiled contently at him. "Elsa…Elsa de Luca."_

_**xxxx**_

"YOU!" Elsa cried, pointing at Tsuna rather rudely, "With the new style of afro"

"Eh?" Tsuna looked at her in confusion.

"You're the tenth generation Vongola boss?!"

"No I'm not!"

Elsa turned to Dino with a reproachful look. He raised his arms defensively, "I'm telling the truth. Come on Tsuna help me out here!"

"It's true. Tsuna is the next Vongola boss." Reborn said as a matter of fact.

Elsa rubbed her temples agitatingly, "T-This is all too much for my brain…"

Luciano coughed, standing behind her. It startled her, causing her to jump right on Dino's foot (which seemed to be suffering a lot since Elsa came into his life). He collapsed to his feet as she stepped off.

"Eh…sorry." Elsa said.

Luciano started, "Boss, we've got to go—"

"Ouch…how many times are you going to do that…"Dino moaned.

Elsa folded her arms and looked down at him. "Well I'm sorry I **accidentally **stepped on your foot, and I've only done it twice"

"Four times"

"Don't bullshit."

Luciano tried again,"Boss we really outta be going now—"

Dino sighed, "Elsa, what have I ever done wrong to you?"

"Nothing. It's not like if I never met you I would've gone on with my peaceful life respecting the mafia."

"Hey you chose to come, you could've left me."

"Well it's too late for that, besides I'm sticking with you for a reason…"

"So you'd spend the rest of your life with someone you hate?"

"Why not?"

"That's not good for a young girl"

"Damn Dino that was cheesy, don't push it. I thought I made it clear to you on New Years, my resolution is your money and that only," Elsa snapped with the slightest eyebrow twitching indicating her big fat lie. For some reason only Luciano realized this, she grabbed him by the arm and headed for the carpool, "Let's get a move on Lucy. Tell Romario to get that stupid Yano"

_Lucy?_ Luciano raised an eyebrow, when did she come around to calling him that?

"Tsuna, I'll be going now…" Dino sighed resignedly, following his bitter fiancée and subordinate.

"Y-Yeah…" Tsuna stuttered.

_**3 years ago…**_

_Elsa waited timidly behind the school building. It was now officially a daily meeting spot for her and her new found crush, and today he'd promised to introduce her to his circle of friends. Ah friends, something she'd been longing for a while now. _

_"Ah hey Elsa!" He called, jogging towards her with four boys behind._

_"H-Hi" She stuttered._

_"So are you ready?" He asked._

_"Ready? What do you mean?"_

_"We're going to have a little fun today."_

_"Eh?" Elsa cocked her head, puzzled. He grabbed her by the wrist and took off with the rest of them, running at full speed. Elsa stumbled here and there, huffing and puffing while she was dragged up a steep hill, the sun was beginning to set. _

_"Where are we going?" She asked gasping for air. None of them answered her, they continued on to a footpath, diverging as they reached a signpost. A chilly air whiffed against them as Elsa read the words 'Cemetery' carved on one arrow and 'Black market district ' on the other. Neither sounded really pleasing to the minds. Elsa took a step back with disinclination, she looked down at the hand now grasping painfully onto her wrist. The boy leaned in for an uncanny hug. _

_"Elsa. We're good friends right?" He smirked over her shoulder, "You'll do me a favor right?"_

_Her hands shook violently, a nightmare she tried to avoid was reliving. Not again, she repeated in her head, not again. _

_His fingers were digging into her flesh, the nails deeply embedded into her skin, tiny bubbles of blood growing from the wounds. _

_"It's hurts, let go of me I'm bleeding!" She pleaded, shoving the boy away from her. _

_He clung on, "I'm just having fun with you, we're good friends now aren't we Elsa? Let's go have some fun, I would never hurt you."_

_The boy and his followers ran towards the path of the 'Cemetery', running wildly like loons. Elsa could only be dragged along like the doll she were. Upon arriving at the huge site, the boys snipped an opening in the wired fencing. They kicked her through the hole and followed through, grabbing onto both her arms as they fled into the sea of tombstones. They threw her beside one, the fairly fresh mound indicating a still decaying corpse underneath._

_"Dig." The boy ordered._

_"W-W-What?" Elsa stammered._

_"Get digging Elsa."_

_"You're kidding right? Why…"_

_"We're friends aren't we? No. I'm more than a friend to you," He chuckled, "So dig up my dead grandmother for me. I miss her so much, in fact if you do then I'll go out with you."_

_The others chortled alongside him, holding a shovel above her quivering body. _

_"Dig with your hands, and we'll see if you deserve a shovel depending on your __**behavior.**__"_

_"N-N-No…I don't want...leave me alone," Elsa pleaded, scrambling to her feet in an attempt to run for it. Their hands grabbed onto her legs, causing her to fall flat on the ground, skidding on top of a grave. She began blubbering in tears, whimpering, petrified to the point of vomiting. And then they beat her. Kicked her in the sides and hammered the head of the shovel against her back. Slapped her against the cheeks and pulled her by the hair, dragging her to another fresh mound._

_"Dig you ugly bitch. DIG!" He spat._

_Bloodied to a pulp, she furiously began clawing at the mound, with terror-stricken trembling and horrified whimpering. The tears streamed down her widened eyes. She dug deeper and deeper, despite the excruciating pain present from her broken ribs; she dug desperately until her fingers had become numb with pain, the dirt crawling onto her skin._

_"Not fucking fast enough!" The shovel was thrown at her finally. She snatched it without hesitation and crawled to her feet, digging and digging. She didn't know what time it was, but for all she goddamn cared it could've been midnight by now. Exhausted and tired but still terrified with raining tears, Elsa finally hit something with a hard pang. Relief washed through her as she shoveled the remaining heaps of earth from the black coffin. _

_"I'VE FINISHED! I-I'VE DONE IT! I'M FREE!" She shouted frantically. _

_"Took your time, I was getting bored shitless." _

_"I CAN GO NOW YES? I CAN GO—"_

_"Now open it and jump in."_

_She turned to the snickering pack of malevolent boys. They edged their way towards her with threatening smirks. She took a step back, her eyes bulging. She heard the course movement of stone rubbing against one another, then a deep hollow pang as it hit the rubble. _

_"I think I'm gonna fucking puke…" She heard, then the sound of a sickening belch. _

_"Ready?" He said, "Three…two…one…"_

_He leaned in towards her, his hands clutching onto her shoulders. She went stiff. He suddenly hooted into her ear and shouted like a loon, "__Your mum's a slut and your dad's a drunkard, you're a plain dunce and you've got no friends! So make yourself at home with your own kind!"_

_Three years ago during her unfortunate school life, she was pushed by four boys and the second boy she ever loved into a 5-month-old grave. Elsa made headlines the very next day._

_**xxxx**_

Dino sighed as he watched this ill-tempered teenager grumble to herself like a madwoman, and followed behind her as she made her way through the corridor. She stormed in their room and kicked off her slippers.

"Bucking-horse, COME HERE." She growled.

With a huge amount of reluctance, he walked towards her, afraid of what this unpredictable girl would do next. She glared at him as he stopped in his tracks midway. He took a step back, smiling nervously at her, "Els, we've had pretty tiring day. Why don't you take a nap while I go downstairs and send Yano off?"

She glared at him harder.

"Ah, hey I just remembered that I promised to take you shopping, why don't we tomorrow—"

Elsa began striding towards him quickly. He raised his arms in defense and shut his eyes, ready for the blow. He felt nothing for a long while. He lowered his arms then opened his eyes, only to see a frowning Elsa with her arms folded across her chest. She looked away from him.

"Hug me." She ordered.

Dino cocked his head, "Excuse me?"

"Just hug me. I need one."

He stared at her perplexedly for a few minutes, the seriousness in her expression was scaring him a little. Not knowing what to say, he pulled her into his chest and slid his arms awkwardly around her. She made no attempt to push him away, neither did she unfold her arms to hug him back. They remained in that uncomfortable position for the rest of the evening, until Elsa finally fell asleep in his arms.


	14. Days Without a Sound Part 1

_Disclaimer- Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. And I do not own Chanel either._

Hey there dear readers! I'd like for you to pop a review because I would like to hear what you people want more of. Do you want more action? Do you want more fluff? Want more humor? Or do you want Elsa to pole dance for Dino? (not gonna happen) Or do you have any requests for a chapter? Tell me in your reviews. I can't guarantee I'll do everything haha, but throw them at me anyway.

I'm just going to note, I'm glad I got this chapter out of my system. School starts today after I update this.

**Edit: **Italics kept stuffing up for some reason in the documents. Had to fix the whole thing, sorry if there were any random "thought" bits that were not in italics. I keep finding grammatical errors...

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

* * *

**Chapter ****14**

**Days without a sound part 1**

Elsa tugged onto the bed sheets with a groan. She lolled over to the side, her eyes opened dazedly; she was having a five-second mind blank. Her legs hung off the bedside as she tried to get herself sitting upright. When she finally managed, she looked down at her clothes—gah, she hadn't showered or changed from yesterdays gathering—gross—and the make-up was still caked onto her face (very bad for pores).

Ohhh shit.

Now she remembered. She blatantly asked the Cavallone boss to hug her. One day Elsa would really wake up from doing something wild. Although it didn't seem as bad as the time she'd gotten drunk and started stripping, but really it was much worse.

"I can't believe I said that…might as well tell him I'd like see his sweaty hot body smothered in honey. Real smooth Elsa, real smooth." She muttered, peeling off the Yukata. She picked up a handful of clothes and draped a towel over her shoulder, and then headed for the bathroom.

She coughed coarsely on the way, "Geh, I think I'm coming down with a sore throat…"

xxxx

"Elsa, I brought you breakfast." Dino chirped, his silly grin radiating from his lips. He strode into Elsa's side of the room, placing a plate full of bacon and eggs on the itsy table beside the bed, "Hey, I'm taking you out today"

Realizing she wasn't even there, and hearing the heavy drumming of water, he peered down at a pile of clothes in an open suitcase. He knelt down and began prying around her belongings. Well, he was her fiancé, so there was no harm done right? All he had to do was avoid the undergarments. He decided to take a lucky dip, heaving out two things at once – no dirty intentions whatsoever (yeah, right). In one hand was a black hardcover diary, in the other was a pair of socks—not quite what he expected (in other words, it wasn't a pair of underwear). The bathroom door swung open.

"Ah shit I forgot my bra—WHAT THE HELL?!" Elsa screeched, a damp towel was wrapped around her tightly, her wet hair dripping a trail of dark spots behind her.

Dino slid the diary in his jacket and threw the pair of socks back into the suitcase. He groped around behind him for some kind of shield before she could strike him, "W-W-Wait!"

"You pedophilic son of a—" She froze.

Dino looked at her, cautiously.

Cough. Cough. **COUGH**. Cough. Cough. She began gagging hoarsely. She drummed her hand against her chest.

"Elsa you okay?!" Dino bounced up, scrambling to her side. He clutched on her on the shoulders and began shaking her vigorously, "Hey! Get a hold of yourself!"

She shoved him away, and then opened her mouth to scold him. But nothing came out. She tried again, but the only sound she could make was a grunt.

"Els?"

Elsa began waving her arms about hysterically. _I've lost my fucking voice you idiot!_

"Have you lost your voice?" Dino asked.

Elsa nodded her head with a croaky sigh. _For once you understood me._

"It's probably from all the yelling since you came here…" Dino muttered.

She whacked him in the head, then stormed back into the bathroom, snatching a white bra off the floor on the way._ Blonde Mafiosi these days…_

___xxxx_

"I'm sorry madam I don't know what you're trying to say." Romario scratched his head, staring at the unfathomable girl desperately trying to get her message through.

_Tell Dino I don't want to go shopping with Yano and him! _Elsa flapped her arms frantically. She then grabbed Luciano by the shoulders and yelled soundlessly in his face, mouthing out the words YA-NO.

Luciano smirked at her, obviously getting what she meant. He snickered, "Hehehe, no way am I letting you off. If Dino gets a day alone with that crack-head then I'll be damned…"

_Screw you! Screw you! _Elsa stomped her feet on the ground angrily.

"Hey Romario, she says she can't wait to go shopping with the boss!" Luciano said.

_I think…I'm going to drop dead. _She was on the verge of ripping her hair out.

"Oh hoho you're finally getting around" Romario smiled, giving her a thumbs up.

Elsa wanted to talk. She really_ really_** really** wanted to blabber, yell, scold, nag and groan. But all she could do right now was wait for the irritating Cavallone boss and his two-faced angel to drag her along on their lovey-dovey exhibition. The red car arrived, and Dino stepped out, he strode around the car and jerked the door open with a clunk. She could see Yano glowering at her from the front seat.

_Sigh. I was an idiot to think Dino would want to spend any quality time with just me. _Elsa stepped in the back seat, shooting Dino a glare. Not realizing what she meant, he slammed it shut again.

"Eto, Elsa-chan. It's great that we can go shopping together!" Yano immediately chirped. She smiled in the mirror, reflecting it for Elsa to see.

_I'm not._ Elsa forced an uneasy smile back at her.

"Ano, I'm sorry about your voice though. Really, I love it when you talk, it's such a shame ne?"

_Can this bitch just shut up already? _Elsa just nodded.

Yano's smile brightened up a notch. Elsa shuddered, something was coming.

"Eto…Elsa-chan ne…today would you mind keeping away from Dino for today?"

_Excuse me? _Elsa cocked an eyebrow at her, crossing her arms in the process.

"I-I know you want to stay with Dino for his money and all but…to…to tell you the truth I…" Yano blushed a shade of pink, and pressed her hands against her cheeks like an innocent highschooler experiencing her first time in love, "I really love him and all so…so…eto…kyah this is so embarrassing…"

_NO WAY IN HELL WILL I—_

Dino hopped in the car and slammed the door shut, "Okay we're ready—hm? Was I interrupting something?"

_Yes you were! Dino you get this girl out of the car right NOW, or I'm out of here! _Before Elsa could throw a spastic fit, Yano just winked at her through the mirror, as if she'd said yes to it all.

"Eto…nothing much. Let's go now ne?" Yano smiled.

Elsa was suffocating in this woman's filthy hands. She let out an empty groan and slumped in her seat. Why of all days did she have to lose her voice **today**?

___xxxx_

Elsa expected this. One hundred percent she knew this was going to happen. Why was it so hard for her to have a little joy and fun on a holiday? She could be traveling around Japan, climbing Mount Fuji or something, eating raw fish perhaps! But no, she was sitting on a bench while the two-faced cherub was yapping away at Dino while pulling out racks of sunny dresses with frills and pink zips and whatnot baby colors that made Elsa feel sick in the stomach. Dino did try to move them over to the more sophisticated and overpriced section, but they somehow always ended up in a field of frills and young girls with Yano in the lead. Elsa twiddled with her fingers, gazing at the Chanel retail outlet that stood before her eyes, a line of drool dripping from the corner of her mouth; unfortunately, Dino's wallet had probably taken its toll after Miss Oh-so-perfect's shopping spree. Damn, today was meant to be Elsa's day, so unfair. As she turned back to the two, she realized a crowd of people had formed nearby them.

"Ehhhh she's so pretty…and oh my gosh is her boyfriend like a model from Europe or something…DROOL MUCH?"

"They look like celebrities, are they celebrities? I want their autographs…"

"Imagine the children!!!"

Elsa gazed at Dino. Her hands had tightened into balls of fists. He really was a good looking man, a definition of smot, and she had to admit, every part of him was perfect. He was kind, he was caring, he had money, he had power, yeah he was sometimes a stupid klutz – but that was the cute side of him. And right now, he had someone perfect for him, right by his side. They looked like a couple from outer space - too perfect. Ew, Was she jealous?

_No. No, love is for idiots. _She buried her face within her hands___, __Love is for idiots. You wanna go through that again Elsa? Do you? No, you don't. Every man is the same, every person in this world is against you. No Elsa, love is for idiots. Period._

"Kyahhh thank you so much! I love you!" Yano's voice echoed through her head, "I'll be right back."

Elsa twitched, he head was beginning to spin. _Love is for idiots, love is for idiots, that's how everybody screws up in life. Yes, you don't want to screw up in life do you? Remember? Remember those times those stupid assholes messed with your head, claiming they were __**interested. **__Yeah right…interested. _

_But Dino's not like them._

_No hell what am I saying, he's EXACTLY like them. They're all the same, pretending to be special._

_Dino would never do that._

_Shut up SHUT UP. He's probably mocking me anyway, yeah, look at him, all he cares about is what a nice ass Yano has._

_You know that's a lie._

_No it's not a lie, all they care about are looks, appearances. I'm nothing, I'm not even close to cute._

_Not cute. But what about the time he called you beautiful?_

_That was make-up…MAKE-UP. It's always like that, they're just saying it._

_Keep denying your feelings and you'll be a nun in the future._

_I'm turning schizophrenic, you don't exist, get out of my head._

_…_

She felt a hand rest gently on her shoulder, "Elsa, Yano's gone to the checkout, it's your turn now, where do you wanna go?"

Screw it. It was inevitable, she knew it would come down to this. She couldn't help it, and avoiding it wasn't going to help. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.

_Dino I think I might – _

"Hey you like that brand don't you?" He pointed behind her, a goofy smile spread across his lips, a stupid smile, Elsa's personal favorite. She didn't want to admit it, but it was, it put her at ease.

_I don't want to, and I'll hate you for it but – _

"Let's go," He held her hand and pulled her off the bench.

_I think I do, I really do – _

"Don't even worry about the price, I promised you before didn't I?"

_Shit I'm dragging this aren't I?_

"I wonder if I brought enough…guess I'll use my credit card."

_I don't want to, stop being so nice to me._

"Elsa?" He turned to face her.

_I hate that I'm in love with you. I hate that you're the reason I'm acting like this. I don't want to be in love again. _

And for the first time in two years, Elsa broke down into tears.

"HEY WHAT THE—?!" Dino let go of her hand.

_Fuck you. Screw you. I hate you. _She cried louder, her soundless voice emitting hiccups and blubbers. Her tears ran down her cheeks like a tap on full blast, her hands uselessly wiping them away. This was pissing her off, he was pissing her off, **everything **was pissing her off. Love was like a bullet wound. Oh god, this was so embarrassing.

"Elsa stop crying, what's wrong?!"

_I can't even fucking talk, idiot. _She stomped on his foot, then cried even louder, sniveling away. She wanted her voice back. The people around them were beginning to stare.

"O-Ouch…Is it because I left you here? I'm really sorry if it is!"

_Who the hell would cry about something as stupid as that?!_

"I don't want to see a girl crying."

_My pride, my pride – urgh – my pride. It's gone…_

"Alright, I get it." Dino said.

_Get what? This is all your fault – _

Suddenly, he tucked his arms behind her back and swept her off the ground, carrying her in the utmost embarrassing position yet. Princess-style? Elsa de Luca? Carried by a mafia boss? Heart rate increasing by 10mph per second? Elsa cried even louder. _Gah I'm such a crybaby._

She wrapped her arms around his neck, weeping in the fur of his coat, or jacket, or whatever hell it was he was wearing. And he dropped her, both landing flat on the ground with a thump.

Real smooth Dino, real smooth – more like epic fail.

"Damn I tripped…that was lame." Dino apologized, chuckling. He ruffled Elsa's hair in a messy lot, smiling at her with every last ounce of sunny radiance he had. She grip around his neck became tighter, her rapid breathing finally calming down. Dino was such a gentlemen, and that was a fact.

_Finally, I've stopped crying. After I get my voice back, I swear I'll – _

"Cry on my shoulder Elsa, I don't know what's wrong…but let it all out on me. I'll even let you hit me - not too hard though."

She burst into tears again, this time howling twice as loud.

_I just stopped crying you asshole, great_. She soaked her tears in his clothes; the constrict of her arms around him were choking him. He was beginning to suffocate, but he let her. He slid his arms around her and drew her shaking body closer, caressing her hair, soothing her down, his warmth filled her with tingles, but it only made her want to keep crying. Passersby were 'awing' at the scene.

Yano jaw-dropped as she walked out of the store, witnessing the awkward moment, the shopping bags in her hands plummeted to the ground with a thunk, she began twitching in rage, "I'm gone for a minute…and this happens…"

Dino sighed, rocking her in his arms, "I just wanted a peaceful shopping trip."

They kept like that for the next hour or so, people were starting to wonder when they would ever leave. But somehow, they couldn't ask, it was an impossible interruption. She cried louder every ten minutes, and would soften down after five. Drowning her tears in the man that caused this all in the first place hadn't made her feel any better, but just for five more minutes, she would tell herself, because it just felt so darn good, letting it all out. Crying was for losers, according to Elsa's logic, and she was going to enjoy being a loser just for now.

Finally, having succumbed to a state of hiccups, Elsa took a few deep breaths, then loosened her grip around Dino's neck. She dug into his pockets and pulled out a black wallet. She pointed at the Chanel outlet and frowned at him eagerly. _You owe me now._

"Yes, Yes." Dino sighed. He'd become a telepathic?

Things were going to change between them for now on, drastically, and for the worse.


	15. Days Without a Sound Part 2

_Disclaimer- Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. And I do not own Romanee Conti._

Gosh, thank you dear constant readers. I almost fell off my chair at the response for chapter 14. I am and will be taking all your ideas into consideration so keep tuning it! By the way, a question to you all…

What is Elsa's _mother's_ name?

If you'd like a specific name for her, please, don't hesitate to jolt it down in your review, an Italian or European name preferably. If I like it, then be prepared to see it around in a chapter, not going to specify when. I have exams tomorrow and I should be studying LOL. I can honestly say I'm pretty screwed, see what I do for you guys? Jokes.

Note: I know jack-shit about wine or alcohol, so cut me some slack.

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

_

* * *

_

**Chapter ****15**

**Days without a sound part 2**

Dino kept his promise, and Elsa knew that very well. She'd emptied his wallet and traded it in for five bags of clothing. Of course she'd felt terrible afterward, but she hadn't dragged him around to cough up his fortune deliberately, it was more like a tactic to distract them from her earlier humiliating breakdown. As a result from today's chaotic _shopping trip_, she now – officially – had trouble facing him or conversing with him (not that she could). Yano, in a furious fit, had told Dino she had just been called by her boss to fill-in at work after a colleague had called in sick, then stormed off irately into the crowd. Really, she was just going home to brainstorm new _how-to-attract-a-mafia-boss_ techniques.

Luckily for Elsa, her eyes detained from becoming red and puffy. It was one of her very few aptitudes – that she found useless anyway – but for the first time she found it useful. Neither Luciano, Romario or anyone else for that matter realized she'd been wailing like a child and drowning her tears in Dino's trademark jacket. And even though she was glaring more than usual, they all assumed it was due to Dino inviting Yano along (which was partially true).

Elsa kicked her sneakers off and stormed towards her suitcase, her cheeks fading into a shade of red.

_I've got three seconds to grab my clothes and run into the bathroom, and then I won't have to face him._

She pulled out a set of PJs and undergarments; she reached over the suitcase, struggling to pick up her towel. Just as she managed to seize it within her fingers, the mop-haired ditz filched it off the bed and crossed his arms at her. Elsa jerked up to glare at him, but the moment they made eye contact she sulked away with a smitten blush.

"No you don't. We're going downstairs to eat with my men, you haven't eaten a thing all day."

_Well that's partially your fault—_

Dino grabbed her by the arm and lugged her to her feet.

_Ah! Hey don't touch me—_

"Until you get your voice back, I'm going to look after you night and day!" He flashed his jovial smile.

Elsa frantically shook her head left and right. That was the last thing she wanted right now.

_NO. NO, BUCKING-HORSE. _

"At least you won't be lonely anymore." Dino chuckled, dragging her through the door while she soundlessly protested. Maybe it was her imagination, but she had a feeling Dino liked it better this way – an Elsa with no voice.

_Nooooooooooooooooooooooo…_

**xxxx**

Son of a bitch.

He'd booked an entire restaurant for themselves. Dino's men shuffled to the table, each taking a turn to tousle Elsa's hair as they walked passed her, and by the time they'd all seated at their tables, she looked like Tsuna with his new style of afro. Luciano smirked at her rather rudely while sitting across her. Other than him, Romario and one other sat on one side of the table, and of course, Dino sat right beside her.

_I'm the only girl here,_ Elsa shook her head in disbelief, she felt like a princess. Except mafia weren't exactly the good guys so more like a damsel in distress, or a ruler of the underworld.

Suddenly, Dino yanked her left hand on the cloth-covered table, "Hey where did you put the ring?"

SLAP.

"BOSS?!" The restaurant bellowed.

Elsa pushed her chair back in shock. _Oh god, oh god he touched my hand…_

"BOSS ARE YOU AL—" Luciano stood up abruptly, knocking his knee on the edge of the table. He collapsed to the floor, gritting his teeth in awful pain, "Son of a—!"

"Madam you're a walking disaster…" Romario chuckled. Elsa pouted back, she crossed her arms with a blush.

Dino rubbed his aching cheek, he supposed he was getting used to the physical violence from Elsa. He sighed. Luciano crawled back onto his chair, blushing. Dino then gestured for the waiter.

A woman with chic dark hair strutted towards them in her red and white uniform, her skirt a tad too tight around her butt for formality in this five-star restaurant. My apologies did I say waiter? I meant waitress – or possibly a skank. Her eyes gleamed as they drifted towards the smokin' fine Cavallone boss that sat before her, her heels clunked as she strode next to Dino. Her fingers slid down her thighs slickly as she bent down, flashing an inappropriate cleavage. She flicked her hair to the side, "Good evening. I'm Natsumi and I'll be one of your waitresses tonight."

Dino slid his chair nearer to Elsa uncomfortably, he retained a suave smile looked above her ridiculously revealing chest, "Good evening."

Natsumi brushed a stray hair behind her ear, she smiled flirtatiously at him then traced her middle finger up his shoulder, gradually making its way around his shoulder.

"Is that your girlfriend beside you?" She asked.

Elsa leaned in from across, then glared at her gallingly. _We're engaged._

"Actually she's my fiancée." Dino responded.

"Oh? Congratulations, although I don't see a ring on her finger?"

_Fuck._ Elsa slumped back in her seat, she'd left the ring at the hotel. She looked to Luciano for help. Unfortunately he was too busy glaring menacingly at the new rival to notice the conversation that was going on.

"Well I guess she doesn't want to lose it." Dino chuckled.

Natsumi raised an eyebrow, "Interesting."

_Once again something just HAD TO happen while I incidentally can't talk. _

"You've ordered yes?"

"Prior to the booking."

"Would you like anything to drink?"

"Best wine you've got please."

"Domaine Romanee Conti, special import from France that just came in."

"Perfect." Dino grinned, turning to Elsa as if he'd just done something impressive.

_Blah. I don't drink wine, and gosh you have a lot of cash on you. Romanee Conti…_

"Actually boss I think Elsa would like beer instead." Luciano cut in, a big smirk painted on his lips.

_What the hell?_

"No, Elsa is underage." Dino frowned. Not that wine made it any better?

_When did mafia ever think about what's legal and illegal. _

"Oh come on, it's only a year or even less. Her birthday isn't very far off."

"Last time she drank alcohol she—"

"Don't ruin the fun for Elsa boss!" One of Dino's men from another table whined.

"Yeah Elsa can take it!"

_Yeah. I think._

"Jeez, always nagging at me," Dino turned to the impatiently waiting waitress, "A beer for everyone"

"Beer? Fun choice." Natsumi smirked while winking slyly at him. Elsa shot her another glare; Natsumi brushed it off casually and began strutting towards the bar.

"Elsa, promise me you won't drink too much…" Dino sighed, remembering the awkward Elsa-in-drunk-mode incident that had scared him half shitless. Although he kind of liked her open self while under the influence of alcohol – gah, hormones.

_Excuse me? Are you saying I can't drink?_

"Don't give me that look, just promise me."

Elsa turned away, those irritating love emotions were burning her face red.

_I feel nauseous just looking at his face._

_…_

_I just said something cheesy. _

"Don't you worry boss, Elsa knows she can't drink more than two cups without getting drunk anyway!" Luciano laughed.

_Oh. Excuse me?_ Elsa craned her head to her once-rival, now-ally.

"She's barely off her teenage years, I'm sure she knows her limits in comparison to adults."

_Elsa de Luca does not have any limits. _

"Hell, I think I was wrong about the beer, no worries boss I'll drink her share." Luciano shrugged, shaking his head disappointingly at Elsa. She jumped off her seat and stamped her foot on the ground. She then pointed at Luciano, mouthing out cusses and silent words.

Natsumi trotted along and placed a tray of beer bottles on the table, she slowly unloaded them.

"Hey, Natsumi was it?" Luciano grinned diabolically.

"Yes sir?" She replied looking up at him.

"Elsa here challenges you to a drink out, your boss wouldn't mind would he?"

Natsumi's sly smile went up a notch. She poured a cup of beer then placed it in front of Dino. She licked her index finger, then clamped it between her fresh white teeth and smirked at Dino provocatively, "Why would he? Customer service, but what's in it for me?"

"You get to kiss our boss!" The Mafiosi roared from their tables.

"What?!" Dino cried in disbelief.

_URGH. _

"Ohoho, then I'm in." Natsumi chuckled.

"Well Elsa?" Luciano provoked.

_Damn you backstabbing son of a cow. I don't want to kiss him!_

For some reason Elsa was overly confident she would win.

"First one drunk loses!"

"Hey! Elsa is still a minor, come on—"Elsa clamped the palm of her hand on Dino's mouth and glared at the seductive woman that snickered at her. Natsumi plopped herself on the table, leaning towards Elsa and handing her a bottle of beer. Elsa snatched it from her hands and looked over scornfully at the still-smirking Luciano. She twisted the cap off. Dino looked restlessly at her.

_Dino, all because of you. Stop attracting whores like her and maybe I'd be a little less reckless. _

"Elsa…" He pleaded. She ignored him.

_Well…here I go. My second time ever drinking alcohol. _

She gulped it down halfway, then stopped. _Your turn bitch._

"Minors should lay off grown men." Natsumi muttered, pulling the cap off her bottle and throwing the alcohol down her throat.

"DRINK! DRINK! DRINK! DRINK!" The men hooted.

_And provocative hoes like you should lay off TAKEN men._ Elsa tossed down the rest of the bottle.

"Cheh, I can't wait to get my tongue down your fiancé's mouth." Another bottle chugged down by Natsumi.

Oh snap.

_OKAY THAT'S IT. YOU WANNA PLAY HARD, I'LL PLAY HARD._ Elsa grabbed another two bottles and chugged them both down with multiple gulps. The Mafiosi jaw-dropped at the underage drinker as she emptied the bottle down to its very last drop, she threw it on the table and let it roll to the ground with a smash. She brushed the back of her hand across her lips and smirked.

"ELSA WHAT THE—" But before Dino could chide at her, Natsumi grabbed three bottles and guzzled them down twice as fast.

"Your about a hundred years too young to be challenging me little virgin."

Twitch.

"Hey no more—"Poor Dino was just not getting through to anyone. Elsa grabbed three bottles and began pouring it down her throat like a tap on full blast.

The cycle continued on. Bottle by bottle both girl and woman swallowed them whole, the men went silent as they battled it out, and Dino grew even more concerned as the two of them began to waver. Finally, Elsa began hiccuping. Natsumi slid off the table and landed on the carpet floor with a thump. She glared up at Elsa and shook an empty bottle at her, hiccuping incomprehensible words. If Luciano could remember, both of them had reached there tenth beer within thirty minutes. He also realized throughout the whole time Elsa had been chugging the bottles down, and she hadn't taken a single break either – not good. She began drinking slowly by her seventh bottle, however.

A waiter came along and dragged Natsumi off as she passed out, apologizing several times beforehand. Realizing this, Elsa began laughing madly. She took the last bottle on the table and yanked the cap off, pouring it down her throat, but before she could finish, Dino stood up and snatched it from her hands, slamming it on the table.

"That's enough Elsa, stop drinking!" He scolded her.

Without much conscious left, she collapsed into her chair and chuckled at nothing. The Mafiosi had completely gone silent, and Luciano was beginning to regret starting this whole drink-out game.

"Elsa can you hear me?" He shook her by the shoulders.

_Blur…who's talking…oh…hey I think…I won…_

"Romario, call the ambulance and direct them to the hotel"

"Yes boss." Romario rose from the table and began dialing away.

"You stupid girl, I told you not to drink."

_Hey…reward…ah fairies. Dino…_

"I'm taking her back to the room, stay put." He ordered, slinging Elsa's arm over his shoulder and lifting her up with ease. He hurried out the restaurant and yanked the car door open. He carefully placed her in the back seat. But before he could close the door and jump in the driver's seat, Elsa grabbed his arm and sat herself upright, she squinted at him. She then pulled him closer to her, causing him to fall inside. She touched his lips with her fingers. Dino looked tersely at her. She reeled him in closer, her arms sliding up his shirt.

_I wonder…what its like…to kiss a boy…_

"Hey stop that, you're drunk." He pulled her arms away, she threw them around his neck. Her lips reached for his lips. Abruptly, he pushed her away before they could go any further. She fell back with a slump. And with a final moan, she finally passed out. Dino frantically shot out of the car, slamming the door shut. His neck felt stiff, and warm to the touch. He pulled his disheveled shirt down.

Dino fell back on the sidewalk and buried his face within his hands. He brushed his hair back with a grimace, and sighed.

"What am I suppose to do with you…?"


	16. Days Without a Sound Part 3

_Disclaimer- Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's.  
_

Ah, thank you guys for the names I really liked them! I'm surprised anyone reads my senseless rants. Thank you very much **Lal Plaridel, Joyce and thecloudguardian**. As promised I've chosen one and put it in this chapter, incidentally chosen by two of you.

You've no idea how long I spent on Wikipedia researching Italy for this chapter. Oh by the way, I've got a special treat for you constant readers soon. Want to guess what it is?

This chapter is dedicated to those who wanted to know what Dino thought of Elsa, well, here's part of it. This is completely Dino's world for now.

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

_

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**Chapter ****16**

**Days without a sound part 3**

"Nnn…" A moan came from across the room. Dino froze. He looked over his shoulder whilst sitting on his bed to be sure Elsa hadn't woken up to pound his insides for peeking in her diary. Yes – well – usually Dino had consideration for people's privacy but lately Elsa's unstable mood swings had been scaring him a little. He flipped the book open to the first page:

_For those who have stolen this and is currently invading my privacy._

_Prepare to lose your wiener._

_Elsa,_

Pif. Dino held in a laugh. He felt like he was reading a twelve year old child's very first diary entry, which maybe was the case. He flipped the page again, it stared blankly at him. He tried the next few pages, but still – more blank pages.

"Hey what?" He asked himself quietly, pressing his thumb against the edge and flipping through, "She hasn't written a word…"

Then what the hell did she have a diary for? Dino slammed the book shut with a sigh. Elsa was causing trouble every minute of the day, and Dino didn't know how long they'd be able to stay in Japan before she'd bring the entire country into political turmoil. Not to mention her absurd carelessness, the next thing he knew, she'd be sold in the black market without him even knowing - then again he _owned_ a big part of the black market.

Back to the point, looking after her was tiring – very. He got off his bed; something slipped from the diary and rebounded off the carpet with a _ping_. He looked down, and picked up an unfamiliar lustrous trinket, gleaming its silver at him. It was a ring, not his ring but a ring he'd never seen before, and by the looks of it it was almost certainly a Tyranny & Cold design. Quite pricey too. Dino stared at it hard and perplexedly. Where on earth did Elsa get such a pricey thing? He did not remember getting her any second rings, and neither Romario nor Luciano had told him anything about her going out with a chunk of his money to buy one. Unless – Unless someone had given it to her as a gift. A gift of affection…possibly a previous lover or…well not that it really mattered to him, but it could be the reason she was being so emotional lately. Maybe the anniversary of a break-up with her boyfriend? Or the day she first met the man she loved so much? For some reason everything seemed to relate to her romance life, if she even had one. And he was definitely too afraid to confront her, reminded of the day she blew up at Yano for prying into her relationships. He supposed it would be best if he just straightforwardly asked her what she was like – hang on – he realized he did not even know a single **thing **about her let alone what was troubling her. From day one, he'd let his men pick out prospects from all over Italy to become his bride, but he never really got to know _how_ these women were decided, if it was based on their background heck he knew jack shit about Elsa's background. That's it…he was going to have a word with Romario.

Dino, forgetting the initial reason he'd began contemplating about Elsa's life in his head, placed the diary and ring on the bed and paced out the door and left the brain dead girl in the room, sleeping, alone. Elsa rolled off the bed as he shut the door.

**xxxx**

Dino tripped on his own two feet a fair number of times while stumbling along the corridor. Luckily for him the place was empty, not a person in sight (more like no one could afford it). He reached the seventh door and gave it a hard knock, then heard quick footsteps, a minute pause, and then the door swung open. Rather than being greeted by his usual right-hand man, Luciano stood in his place, the jolly look on his face was a dead giveaway that he was more than happy to see Dino standing outside the room. Luciano, one of the few men that he'd entrusted to look after Elsa. Apart from that fact, Dino had known for a long while this particular henchman of his had a fetish for feminine hobbies and recently he'd found out that this peculiar man had formed a rather close friendship with his fiancée, closer than his own relationship with her. Dino greeted him warmly.

"Where's Romario?" He asked.

"He went out drinking with Bono; can I help you with anything, Boss?" Luciano chirped, his eyes filled with ambition that Dino just couldn't brush away.

Well, he supposed Luciano would still be pretty useful, "Yes well...where does Romario keep his laptop?"

Luciano pointed a finger toward the bed – that happened to be relatively smaller than Dino and Elsa's. "Ah, it's right on the table over there. Why?"

"I'm doing a little research, and I need your help with it."

"Anything you want boss, ask away!"

"What do you know about Elsa's background?"

"Oh." Luciano muttered. Well that got his hopes down.

Dino sighed, "You don't know anything?"

"Well, just that she was from a rural area in the south and use to work in a chicken farm."

Dino cocked an eyebrow. Even he didn't know simple details like that, "Anything else?"

"The missus doesn't really tell me anything." Luciano shrugged. That wasn't very helpful.

"That's okay. I realized she's never really told me anything either," Dino grimaced.

Well that was depressing.

Luciano didn't know what to say, he scratched the back of his head awkwardly, "Well uhh, I'm sure Romario would have her file on his laptop." _I think._

Dino sighed for the second time, "I'm tempted. But it wouldn't seem right."

"You want to look through them because you think she's been acting a bit strange lately, right boss?"

"You read me like an open book." Dino chuckled.

"Well then you have every right to look through her file. Besides, it's for the sake of making sure she's alright and all..."

Giving in to temptation, the both of them rushed to the table that was cooped up in the corner of the room without further hesitation. Dino sat himself in a chair and carefully lifted the head of the laptop, switched it on and began typing away in search of the one file. Eventually finding the **Elsa de Luca** folder, he double-clicked it. A short document popped up with a photo of Elsa's current appearance attached in the corner, her face unsmiling as usual. Luciano leaned it closer and squinted at the words, he read the following:

**Elsa de Luca, age 17, birth date 21****st**** June, lives in Calabria region, Southern Italy. **

**Works in local poultry farm as professional chicken sexer.**

**Did not complete high school diploma. **

**Regular client at Dr. Lianna Verde's psychiatric clinic for two years.**

**Mother, Valentina de Luca, secretary of a local company.**

**Father, unknown.**

Nothing else was written.

Dino crossed his arms and looked intently at the photo. Luciano gave a sideways glance at his boss. Well, firstly, other than the fact that Dino thought Elsa's previous profession was the strangest he had ever heard of, he was quite surprised to know she had been going to a psychiatrist for a period of two years, it was a bit worrisome too. Why hadn't anyone told him about this?

Luciano seeing his boss in deep thought, sighed, and shook his head, "Boss, if you'd really like to know more about Miss Luca, just ask her."

"I couldn't, she wouldn't tell me."

"What's it to you Bucking-Horse?" Luciano snapped.

Dino stared wide-eyed at his henchman oddly. "Excuse me?"

"That's what Elsa would say right?" Luciano chuckled. Of course he'd _never_ **ever **say a thing like that to his beloved Cavallone boss, it already ticked him off whenever Elsa chided at Dino.

"Haha you're right, she would."_ Even he knows her better than me. _What were his men for?

"But if you don't try, you'll never know. Elsa is a very unpredictable girl." Words of wisdom from a Mafioso that loved the color pink.

Dino smiled, he got out of the seat and went to the door.

"Are you going to ask her boss?"

He nodded, "Take care of Romario's laptop for me, will you?"

Luciano nodded in response, then gave a thumbs up. "Good luck!"

"Thanks, I'll need it." Dino shut the door. He really did need it.

He thought out specific ways he could ask her while stumbling around the corridor. Most of them he carefully considered moving around her love life and starting with her school life, then making his way to her domestic life. Putting so much thought into inquiring his own fiancée with questions of her life he should already know, made him feel stupid. He swiped his keycard and entered his room where the supposedly slumbering Elsa lay—

A slipper was thrown in his face.

"OW, what the…" A pretty pissed-off Elsa sat upright on her bed with a note in her hand that read:

_**You left a sick girl alone in the room Bucking horse, on the floor too.**_

Just his luck, he still needed more time to think, "Sorry…"

Elsa bit the lid of a pen and tugged it off. She scribbled on a notepad and then held it up:

_**Where have you been?**_

Dino cocked an eyebrow. It was strange for her to be interested in the things he did, let alone for her to even ask where he was, "I just…went to see Romario. Why?"

She scribbled again:

_**Just curious. **_

"Are you feeling alright?"

Elsa shook her head, she rubbed her eyes drowsily. Dino could see she was suffering from a hangover, with the eye bags and all, and she certainly wouldn't have remembered trying to make a move on him – she was drunk, come on. Maybe he could pop the question now, since she was in a drowsy state and all it was possible her reaction wouldn't be as hard as predicted.

"Els, can I ask you something?"

She stared at him.

"If you answer me I won't harass you about what you did last night." Oh, blackmail.

This time she glared at him.

Dino plopped down beside her, his hands were tucked in the pockets of his pants. He was a little nervous, and he knew Elsa could see that. He looked at her, she looked away. He could see a flush of red on her cheeks which meant she was feeling uncomfortable, Dino assumed. Little did he know.

Maybe he'd start with something simple, "Did…you tell your parents where you are right now?"

Elsa froze for a second. She hesitated, then shook her head.

"What? You haven't told them anything?"

Her eyebrows puckered into an irate frown.

"Els, I can't keep you with me if your parents don't even know what's happened to you!"

Elsa scribbled a few words on the notepad, then ripped the piece of paper off and scrunched it into a ball. She shot off the bed and strode in the bathroom, before slamming the door shut she threw the scrunched up note at Dino. That was fast. He'd only gotten the chance to ask one question, in fact, he'd never even gotten the chance to ask about the ring.

"Wait Elsa what's wrong?" Dino picked it off the floor and unraveled it.

_**Che t'importa**__** Bucking horse.**_

Hey, Luciano was pretty close with the words. _**  
**_

"Damn..." He muttered. The predicted really did happen, sooner than he thought.

It was a nice try Dino, but unfortunately for you, the unexpected didn't happen. Better luck next time.

* * *

_Che t'importa _– Why do you care?

_Tyranny & Cold _- Tiffany & Co.


	17. Days Without a Sound Part 4

_Disclaimer – Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. Dialogue in this chapter is from original manga chapter 35. _

Well since no one really noticed the 'surprise' I had in mind for you dear constant readers that I mentioned in my last short rant, I was actually planning to draw Elsa as a special bonus. Well…do you want a drawing of her? You know what to do.

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way._

_

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**Chapter 17**

**Days without a sound part 4**

"Alright, for today I'm going to be Mr. Nasty"

_Pif. _If Elsa had the strength to laugh right now she would, but her legs were draped over a bean bag and her head was rested on a cushiony pillow. She sank in her comfort zone and stared with half-lidded eyes at the nagging man.

"I'm taking you to a doctor, you've been mute for three days straight."

Elsa flapped her arm lazily at him, a gesture that most likely meant: _I can't be effed._

"_You_ might not be worried but I am!"

Elsa stretched her arm forward to grab a hold of the pen and notepad that sat a meter away from her. She tapped it even further, thus gave up instead and snuggled back comfortably.

"Jeez why do you have to be so difficult?"

_Let me rest from this __chaotic holiday. _

"My men in Italy called today, the Gospella family are selling weapons to hoodlums on our turf"

_And what's wrong with that? You're in the mafia aren't you?_

"Elsa don't give me that look, I may be in the mafia but we have our responsibilities as the good guys as well"

Just saying. Elsa turned away from him and snuggled to the side. Wait a second…when did he learn to read her mind?

"I'm taking you to a doctor because I'm going to leave you in Japan for a while until I settle things back in Italy, and I don't want anything happening to you while I'm gone."

Her cheeks flushed a slight shade of pink. She felt awkward whenever Dino said something cheesy. She shook her head again and gestured for him to go away. Dino pouted, he shuffled closer to her instead. Elsa jerked up with irritation. He grabbed a hold of her wrist before she could push him back.

He stroked his fingers affectionately against the side of her face. Elsa gasped, she shuddered back as his fingers sparked a tickling rush of pleasure. It felt so…tender. A man had never been so – erm – gentle with her.

H-Huh?

Dino looked strangely at her, an uncomfortable feeling churned inside of him. He let go and distanced himself from her again. Elsa just sat there, dumbfounded and unable to digest what had just happened.

"H-Hey what's wrong? Usually you'd yell at me or something…" Dino muttered, his face reddening, "I didn't think you'd let me…"

_Why did you do that?_

"Romario told me your voice would come back if I annoyed you." He said, building the awkwardness between them.

Elsa stared into space; her hands were now clutched against her rapidly beating chest. Jeez it wasn't easy holding emotions she'd been restraining for the past two years. Come to think of it…she couldn't even remember what made her so against sappy romantic feelings two years ago.

_I…I feel dizzy. _

"S-Sorry…" He scratched his head.

Elsa opened her mouth to yell at him, but still, her voice crammed in the walls of her throat. They sat there in uncomfortable silence, shying away from one another. Well, it was extremely strange, Dino thought, his moody fiancée had always been snappy about sudden touching...or him in general. Yesterday was a perfect example of her sensitivity.

Elsa mentally punched herself for letting him place his fingers on her delicate face; because of this she was certain he'd gotten one step closer to finding out her feelings for him.

Fortunately, Dino's phone began to ring, breaking the short silence between them; he glanced at the number then quickly answered, "Hey Yano."

_Oh Great._ High-pitched babbling could be heard from his phone.

"No I'm leaving tomorrow. I've got to see the Ranking Futa today. Why?"

_Why don't I know anything about this?_

Dino chuckled lightheartedly, "I'll be fine, you worry too much."

Elsa didn't know how to respond to that.

"Uh…yeah…Elsa is here with me…" He glanced over at her, then looked away again.

_Hey…what was that look for?_

"Eh? You want to come with me—"

"STUPID! DON'T YOU DARE!" Elsa suddenly squawked.

Dino dropped his phone on the ground in shock. Did Elsa just chide at him?

"I just talked…" Elsa felt around her throat, "My voice is ba—"

"Elsa your voice is back!"

"I can yell again…" Her voice was back...it was BACK. Finally. Her precious, beloved husky voice was returned to her. She welcomed it with open arms, her hand rubbed against her throat to double check. All those days of holding in her snappy words, her voice was beckoning her to use it. To use it wisely or else it would run off again. Then she had an idea.

"You can talk again!"

"No shit." She croaked, then picked his phone off the ground, she pressed it against her ear.

"Hello? Dino? HELLOOOO?" Yano called through the phone.

"Hey, haven't seen you in a while." Elsa smirked.

"Eto…who is this?"

Dino leaned forward and reached over for his phone. Elsa shuffled away and face palmed him, she coughed a few times then spoke in a low voice, an attempt at imitating a man's, "Yano-chin~ sorry about that, it's Dino."

"Yano-chin? Dino what's going on? Is Elsa—"

"Ne~ Yano-chin, I've always been wondering….do you like me?"

"E-EH?" Yano squeaked.

Dino dove in to snatch the 'toy' away from his back-to-normal fiancée. Elsa dodged to the side.

"Elsa what are you doing—?" Elsa hooked her arm around his neck and slammed his head against the floor. He twitched with agonizing pain. He flailed his arms about and tried to get back up. Elsa sat on him, causing him to fall flat on the floor again. Her smirk had widened to an almost-diabolical smile.

_Oh how I love having my voice back._

"Do you? Do you? Would you go out with me?" She ruffled Dino's hair in the same manner he usually did to hers – obviously to torment and mock him. Dino grumbled with his face flat against the carpet floor. He could do nothing while this crazy bitch was flirting with his long-time friend right after getting her voice back!

"I-I…I don't know what to say Dino…eto…I…"

"Just say you love me baby." Elsa twirled his blonde tresses around her finger. Dino's face had turned beetroot red, he tried to get up again but felt the weight of her elbow rest on the back of his head.

"A-A-A-Ano…"

"Then we can be making sweet lovin' under the moonlight. How's that sound?"

"Excuse me?"

"Have my babies."

"GEH?" Dino grabbed a hold of Elsa's arm and pulled her off him. He snatched the phone from her and sighed, "Sorry Yano that was Elsa. She got he voice back…I'll call you back some other time."

"Wait what?"

He hung up before she could protest. Dino threw his phone on the bed, he pinned the startled Elsa on the floor. She blinked up at him a few times; she felt the grip on her wrists tighten. Dino was frowning at her, and she was also frowning at him. They stared intently at each other.

…

…

She kneed him in the guts.

Dino released her and winced back, he glared up at her.

…

…

PIF.

They burst into roaring laughter, holding their stomachs in while howling at nothing. They laughed, and laughed, and cried, and they certainly didn't stop. Dino gave a hard, friendly whack on Elsa's back, she flinched and flung a weak punch against his shoulder. This made them laugh even harder for some bizarre reason, and Elsa was now rolling on the floor in guffaws. Dino had slightly calmed down after a few minutes, and so had Elsa. Until Luciano walked in of course.

"U-Uhh…" Luciano stood in the doorway, cocking an eyebrow at the laughing lunatics before him.

"My voice is back!" Elsa cried, slumping against the wall, exhausted from the hysterical laughing. She rubbed the tears from her eyes, still panting.

"Yeah I can see that." Luciano said as-a-matter-of-fact. He wasn't very worried about her being mute from the beginning, he figured an Elsa using sign language would've been much more attractive.

Dino took a few deep breaths. He helped himself up and then took Elsa's hand, hauling her to her feet. Elsa hadn't laughed like that for such a long time, she had to thank Dino – really – it got her spirits up. The laughter of the man she unconditionally loved got her spirits up even more. She dusted her jeans and coughed a few times.

"So, are you ready boss?" Luciano asked impatiently.

"Depends on Elsa"

"Where are you going?" Elsa asked, regaining her breath.

"To see the Ranking Futa at Tsuna's place, I'm not going to throw myself in a mafia war without knowing anything."

Elsa hesitated at the word _war_, and she was clueless on to why. She'd admired the mafia for years and years of her life and it was common sense that once you were part of the mafia – blood was redder than usual. And really, Elsa didn't mind that (at least she thought). So why did it bug her so freaking much that a mafia boss she just so _happened _to have feelings for was going into his usual bloody warfare business? Elsa shook her head out of it, she didn't want any depressing thoughts after laughing with him.

"Yeah I'll go." Brushing off the stupid contradictions in her head, she thought she hadn't seen that crazy Super Saiyan hair for a while, although she was still extremely disappointed he'd turned out to be the Vongola Tenth - might as well visit him. Her love for the Vongola was slowly drifting away. Possibly because she could now see the mafia up front, things just weren't as crazy as she thought it'd be, but she still wanted to stay. She definitely didn't want anything to change for now.

**xxxx**

"Yo, Tsuna!" Dino's men poured in and crowded around the tiny room. Elsa squeezed her way through the hoard and waved at Tsuna with a slight smile. It was her first time in a boy's room – plain, simple, a low table in the center, and a bed cooped up to the side. Hm...she expected more.

"How have you been?"

"Dino-san? Elsa-san?" Tsuna squawked, flabbergasted by their sudden arrival.

Dino strode over to a short, adorable little boy. He had bronze tinted hair, big puppy eyes and a dorky little green jumper slopped on. Elsa hated kids, children and little pricks – but gosh this was the cutest thing she had ever seen. She had an urge to pick it up and take it home, it was probably possible with Dino's power anyway.

"Hmm, there's no mistaking it! This is the real Ranking Futa, all right." Dino shifted his eyes down at him, "It's rare to come by this _le petite _prince no matter how hard you're trying to find him."

Futa flashed his childish round eyes up at him. Elsa's heart cringed at his expression, "Hello, Bucking-Horse Dino."

Dino nudged Tsuna with a playful grin, "Nice to meet you, it's quite a feat to have earned his trust, Tsuna."

"Heh…?" Tsuna looked confused.

Dino's expression changed to seriousness, "Let's get right down to business. There's a reason to why I came today."

Elsa looked bewildered. It was the first time Dino had ever mentioned his 'business'. She'd always wondered what he'd been doing all day while she was cooped up in the hotel room. A serious business-like Dino…hmm…she had to admit it kind of turned her on. Wait – scrap that.

"Futa. I'd like to purchase the rankings of a certain mafia family"

Tsuna's face turned looked with astonishment. _EEEH? Dino-san is asking Futa for help?_

"Lately in our area, a family called the Gospella has been passing firearms to hoodlums and bringing harm to civilians. We can't let them get away with it. I want a list of their most influential weapon dealers. Can it be done?"

Okay, she really _was _getting turned on. Oh god the inner mafia within him was flashing rays of charisma at her, now _this _was the Dino she'd never regret having the hots for. Her mafia obsession was coming back, coming back, sucking her into a whirlpool, and this time it was real, no more mafia-related television dramas or twentieth century movies. Giotto was waiting for her!

"And of course, we have money." One of Dino's men unlocked a heavy black suitcase and lifted the lid, wads of cash were packed neatly in rows of four by four. Elsa began to drool. All that money…all those branded clothes that could be bought with it.

Tsuna's eyes bulged out, "SO MUCH!"

"That won't be necessary." Futa smile. Elsa had almost fainted when those words came out, "Dino ranks number 1 out of 82263 when it comes to mafia members who care for the welfare of civilians! I like that kind of boss. And besides, Dino-nii who is Tsuna-nii's sworn brother is also my brother, right?"

_Adorable and kind-hearted…_Elsa was in awe, Tsuna and Dino were shocked.

Dino grinned, "I'm glad to have such a nice little bro. Thanks a lot, Futa, Tsuna."

Futa held out a sheet, "Here's a copy of the rankings."

Dino took it from him. He then grabbed Elsa's arm and pulled her in front, she gasped as he did, "Hey let go…"

"Tsuna, could you do me a favor?"

"Uh…?" Tsuna looked at him dumbly.

"Could you look after Elsa while my men and I are gone?"

"HUH?"

"HEY WHAT? Couldn't you leave Romario or Luciano with me?" Elsa squawked, pulling away from him.

"I'm going to need them. Come on Els, you're a big fan of the Vongola aren't you?" His goofy grin spread across his lips, Elsa cursed under her breath. She hated it when Dino got her like that.

"Hmm, it looks like you've gotten your voice back," Reborn cut in, "I think this would be a good opportunity for you to enjoy your stay in Japan."

And she knew Dino would just crawl up to that idea. He'd witnessed her crying, her second time drunk and her stubborn self, handled her constant blow-ups, her violent footsies and her name-calling. Of course he'd want to take a break from looking after her.

"But…I…." That still didn't change the fact she didn't want to separate from him again.

"Elsa, go have fun. You can finally talk again, so go make the most of it before I come back and you start blowing up at me again. And then you'll lose your voice _again _and blame me," Dino chuckled and ruffled her disheveled hair. More cowlicks stood up than usual, she sighed.

"F-Fine…" Elsa blushed, for the god knows how many times today.

"I'll get back as soon as possible." He said, "When I get back I promise I'll take you someplace."

_Who would want that…?_ Of course _she _would. Elsa brushed his hand from her head.

"We're in a hurry, so see you later. Thanks!" Dino rushed out without another word, his men stampeded along. The look on Elsa's face had drooped to a solemn sulk as the room emptied out the Italian men. If she could, she would've stopped him and said a proper goodbye. Damn she felt like such a baby, she knew she just didn't want Dino to leave and throw himself in the middle of some gunfire frenzy…even though he was a mafia boss and all.

"Elsa, you can sleep in Tsuna's room." Reborn said.

"Hey what?" Tsuna gawked.

"A mafia boss should be good to women."

"No…really its okay, I'll just go back to the hotel." Elsa took a few steps towards the door, ready to live a free life with room service and whatnot. Maybe she could go visit the red light district again and head for a drink or two.

"Poison Scorpion Bianchi often visits Tsuna's house."

Elsa stopped in her tracks.

"So do the Vongola family members."

Elsa turned around and bowed at Tsuna stiffly, her hands to the side, "I'll be in your care."

"GEH?"


	18. Lonely Swine Part 1

_Disclaimer – Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. _

I had writer's block. Sorry, but I managed in the end right? Haha…no. For those who are watching The World Cup, Argentina is it!

I also managed to get a copy of the Katekyo Hitman Reborn color art book (Reborn Colore or whatever). Dino looks like a pimp on the front cover.

**Major fail Italian in this chapter, correct me if I'm wrong anywhere.**

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

_

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**Chapter 18**

**Lonely Swine Part 1**

"T-Thank you Mrs. Sawada…"

"Don't be silly, Tsuna's friends are always welcome here!"

Her name was Nana, she was Tsuna's mother. Elsa scratched her head, not knowing how to respond to such hospitality. Was she even considered a _friend _of Tsuna, it was only the third time she'd ever talked to him. Besides that, it was also her first time staying over at another person's house (the Cavallone mansion felt more like a hotel)…she was nervous as hell.

"Do you need a towel as well?"

"No thank you" Was Elsa's mechanical response, "I-I've brought everything I need." _I'm going to have a word with Dino for touching my und—clothes._

"Make yourself at home alright? If you need anything just call me or Tsuna."

"Yes Mrs. Sawada." Elsa smiled meekly at her and stiffly made her way to the unadorned bathroom with a towel draped over her shoulder. At least it felt more normal, she guessed. Back in her own house, things were miniature compared to Dino's gargantuan mansion, and truthfully she was still struggling to get used to such luxury. She did, however, stop being so awed by it. And at least in Dino and Tsuna's house there were people in it, unlike hers.

After a quick bath Elsa came out with damp, dripping, wet hair. She went up the stairs and knocked on Tsuna's room.

"Excuse me—"

Right. How long had she been in the shower for this to happen?

A bunch of familiar faces turned their gaze towards her. She stumbled back in surprise.

"Aren't you that dork's…?"

"Hahi! You're the one getting married!"

"Oh hi there" Was the only perfectly normal response from Yamamoto.

"Elsa is staying with Tsuna until Dino comes back." Reborn said.

Elsa didn't respond, instead she swung herself around and attempted to walk out, but before she could, Haru dashed to her side and reeled her back. Elsa stumbled backwards and looked at the dark haired girl, dazed.

"I'm so envious of you!" Haru looked at her with gleaming eyes.

"Eh?" What was there to be envious about Elsa de Luca?

"Hahi! I want to be Tsuna's wife too!"

Jeez who knew all mafia bosses had their fangirls? This Haru girl was the first person to have admitted to being envious (let alone giving a damn) about her. Elsa let herself be pulled into this circle of middle-schoolers; they reminded her of when she was a stupid, naïve girl. They seem to be performing some kind of ritual with that little boy Futa curled up on the floor. Gokudera seemed a little distraught again with Bianchi in the room.

AH! What was she thinking? This was the Vongola family tenth generation right before her eyes! Why wasn't she hyperventilating or something? She guessed living in a mafia family had tolls of her _in_sanity, maybe she'd gotten over the Vongola completely? No way, it was probably because they were children. Thus, Elsa had never felt more discomfited in her life – she was surrounded by children who happened to be part of the number one mafia family in the world.

Elsa started, "I—"

"Too bad it's started to rain. Elsa could have gotten a ranking out of him," Reborn interrupted, giving her a look.

Damn, she guessed it wasn't the best idea to start rambling about her years of obsession with Bianchi standing in the room.

Nana called from the first floor, "Tsu-kun! Call everyone down for dinner!"

"I should be going now, see you Tsuna! Reborn! " Haru smiled and waved before heading out.

Yamamoto said his goodbyes while helping Gokudera out the door, Elsa smiled sheepishly at them as they each left the house. The only one that hadn't left was Bianchi, whom she soon found out lived with them as a temporary tenant, this only made it more nerve-racking for Elsa's stay.

When it came to sitting at the dining table and scoffing down Japanese cuisine, she stiffly picked up her chopsticks and made an attempt to scoop up the dried fish off her plate. The chopsticks grasped it clumsily and threatened to fall on the plate again, noticing this – Elsa shoved the entire thing in her mouth, bones and all.

"Wow Elsa you sure like fish" Nana chuckled.

"M-My favorite." Elsa replied, half-choking on the bones stuck down her throat. She picked up the bowl of soup and chugged it down. Normally she'd be a hungry pig, but after Dino had left she somewhat lost her appetite. Not good, that was like indirectly saying she missed him, the last time he'd left her at least she still had an appetite.

Elsa ate slowly, concentrating deeply on just picking up her food. Tsuna realized this and went to get a fork and spoon from the kitchen. He placed them down beside her and went back to his seat.

"Oh, thank you…" _Sawada Tsunayoshi…you are my new hero. _

"Oh you don't need to be shy Elsa, if you need anything don't be afraid to tell us," Nana said, finally noticing Elsa's uneasiness.

A shade of red grew on her cheeks. She picked up the fork and spoon and continued to eat, Nana only smiled at her shyness. Elsa liked this woman, she was a good mother, she wondered if all mothers were usually like this.

After she had finished, Nana laid out a mattress on the floor right beside Bianchi's, this made Elsa's heart skip a beat.

_S-S-Sleeping next to THE Poison Scorpion Bianchi…this must be a dream._

"Here's your pillow and quilt, it gets very cold here during winter so tell me if you need another quilt"

"Thank you." Elsa replied.

**xxxx**

"Ahhh it's totally warm here!" Yano stretched her arms and cringed at the sunlight. She pulled her white sunhat down, her shiny hair was spilling across her shoulders. She picked up her lavender suitcase and strolled out the airport, and with just the click of her fingers a cab halted in front with a screech. A middle-aged man came around and opened the trunk, picking up her things and placing them neatly in the space, he smiled at her every so often. He then opened the door, and she stepped in with a polite nod. Yano dug into her handbag and pulled out a note with scribble.

"_Dove vuoi andare signora?_" The man asked.

Yano shoved the note into his hands and a fifty euro bill. She pulled out a phrase book and flipped through the pages, "Eto..._Ho bisogno di arrivare a questo posto_….ano…_tieni…il resto…"_

"_Cavallone mafia famiglia? Questo non è sufficient…ma dal momento che sei bella non mi dispiace"_

The only thing that Yano got was 'Cavallone mafia family', other than that whatever gibberish the man had said to her she didn't comprehend any of it. The driver started the car, it coughed as the engine was triggered. Yano took out her phone and began texting.

**Hey Dino! :) Guess who?**

**Ano…I've come to visit you for once YAY~!**

**eto, I'll be at your place by tonight ;)**

**I bet you can't wait to see me ne?**

**Lots of love! Yano**

**P.S. Eto…I'm terrible at Italian**

She pressed the send button with a smirk.

**xxxx**

"Nyahahaha Lambo has huge eyeballs!" Lambo began running with Elsa's B cups strapped to his face, chasing the little egg-head around the room.

"Hey give those back you little…!" Elsa reached over and grabbed the little brat by his foot, he tripped and landed face flat on the ground, I-Pin halted and turned around. Lambo lay twitching on the floor, he sat himself up and began tearing.

"T-Tolerate…" He pulled out a huge pink bazooka from his afro and aimed it at his face.

"Wow what are you doing stop—"

BOOM!

Pink smoke drifted around the room. Elsa and I-Pin coughed as a tall dark figure emerged from the ground and peered down at Elsa.

_Oh wow…who is this?_

He was…handsome. A young man with a cow print shirt, revealing a firm chest…that was new eye candy to Elsa. He wasn't quite as built as Dino but heck here was another Italian smottie. He brushed his short bangs aside and glanced at Elsa with one eye closed, he smiled.

"My my I haven't seen you in a very long time dear Elsa." The man spoke.

"W-Who are you?" She squeaked, holding onto her undergarment firmly.

"It's me, Lambo from ten years into the future. My younger self seems to have shot the Ten Year Bazooka."

_This pretty boy is that annoying little prat? Jeez, I need to get around kids more often. _

I-Pin began spouting words at the adult Lambo, Elsa picked her up to his level.

"You still remember me even ten years later?" Elsa asked, baffled.

"You grew quite close to the Vongola family"

This excited her…she actually grew _close _to the Vongola family? HELLO? Mistake?

"O-Oh…really? How unexpected." _BOOYAH! I scored big time in my future!_

"Sad it only lasted very long…" The Adult Lambo sighed and brushed his luscious black hair back. Elsa looked at him perplexedly.

She then thought of something, but was hesitant to ask, "Hey Lambo…?"

"Yes?" Adult Lambo replied.

"D-Did I end up…you know…?" She looked away embarrassed.

He froze for a second, and then his face fell a little, causing Elsa to flinch, "In the Cavallone family? Well you—"

And with a puff of pink smoke, Adult Lambo had disappeared and the tiny bratty infant Lambo returned with a thumb in his mouth. He looked up at I-Pin in Elsa's arms, "Lambo-san wants a ride up there too!"

_I? I what? What did I do? And why the sullen face oh my gosh don't leave it hanging there! Did Dino cheat on me or something? Did he dump me off for another girl? Damn that Bucking Horse!_

Elsa dropped I-Pin to the ground, letting her run off with Lambo again. She stood there dumbfounded, her head spinning with questions. Questions about her future with that damn Italian…Dino the man she was betrothed to, Dino the man she was meant to marry god-knows _when_, Dino the man she didn't even know his last name, Dino the man who had just left her with complete(almost) strangers approximately five or six hours ago, Dino the man—oh you get the point. And what the hell was the Ten Year Bazooka? Elsa dropped to her knees and sighed heavily. When did she start to worry about her relationship with that stupid klutz this much? She reached over to her suitcase and flung the lid open. Her suit, the Galvin Blind customized suit with the black shorts, the one Dino had specially made for her. On top of it was her ring, the same white gold ring that he'd slipped into her fingers on that fateful encounter, she hadn't worn it since that day at the festival where she'd declared ownership of Dino in front of Yano. It embarrassed her before, but now she felt a need to wear it, just to be sure it was still on – the strange engagement between them. She pinched it between her fingers and stared at it long and hard, she sighed.

"What's that?" Lambo's bratty voice asked, staring at the object like a toy.

"My engagement ring…" Elsa smirked, slipping it onto her finger.

Bianchi peeked through the open door, and grinned as the smitten young Italian girl that admired her ring ever so adoringly. Wherever there was love, Bianchi would know.

* * *

_Dove vuoi andare signora? – _Where are you going madam?

Eto..._Ho bisogno di arrivare a questo posto_….ano…_tieni…il resto… - _Eto…I need to get to this place…ano…keep the change…

_Cavallone mafia famiglia? Questo non è sufficient…ma dal momento che sei bella non mi dispiace – _Cavallone mafia family? This isn't enough…but since you're beautiful I don't mind.


	19. Lonely Swine Part 2

_Disclaimer – Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. _

I am dead tired of education. Sorry for lag update. Reviews for the penniless fanfiction writer?

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

_

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**Chapter 19**

**Lonely Swine Part 2**

_**2 Years ago…**_

_January xx of the xx month_

_ Honestly I really hate that you're gone even though it's only for 3 mont_

_Hi I've decided to follow your advice and during the period that you're gone I'll be writing in this reflection journal. I hope you'll be able to read this when you return, I'm sorry about your mother by the way. __You know, yesterday that woman _

_I hope your mother gets well soon. _

_Elsa._

_**xxxx**_

Elsa's could describe her night in one word – restless. She hadn't slept until five thirty in the morning, and currently it was seven thirty. She felt like she had insomnia (hopefully she didn't). The dark bags under her eyes were especially visible this morning, and her bed hair, oh gosh she didn't even want to see it. She could already feel weight of the tangles and knots. And now Dino would walk in while laughing at her and then—

Right, he wasn't here. Elsa sat up in her mattress and stared dazedly into space, it took some time for her to register the unfamiliar environment. Beside her was an empty space, where Poison Scorpion was absent, neither the egg head nor broccoli monster were present either.

"It's so early…"

She stretched her arms and crawled out of the hard bed. She wondered what she was supposed to do with the mattress; she picked up the pillow. Incidentally, Bianchi had walked in right on time. Elsa turned around, startled, and they both stared blankly at one another. She dropped the pillow, "Uh…morning…am I meant to fold this or something?"

Bianchi smirked at her, then came over to help roll the thing neatly and store it in the cupboards. Elsa thanked her shyly. _I've never felt so glad to be alive._

"Sit over here." The Poison Scorpion suddenly instructed. Elsa hesitantly sat herself in the empty spot she was pointing at, Bianchi knelt behind her and pulled out a comb. She began brushing gently in Elsa's knotted and tangled locks, taming the cowlicks that threatened to stay up. Elsa sat there dumbfounded, as much as she liked this woman this was probably the most random thing a stranger had ever done to her. Neither of them talked, and only one side felt awkward. After Bianchi had finished brushing her hair she stood up and handed Elsa a convenient, small mirror. She took it bemusedly and looked at herself. No messy hair – that was a change, it actually looked good.

"You should always look your best when it comes to love. You never know when he might show up again." Bianchi said.

Halt. She knew there was something up, "Oh no, Dino that idiot? You think I _love _him? You've got it all wrong Bianchi I don't…"

"Keep that up and it'll only grow on you"

Alright, maybe it wouldn't hurt to bring back that little crush she had from the first time she set eyes on the pretty boy. But gosh, _love _was a strong word, her heart and mind was most certainly not prepared for that, and she doubted it ever would be ever again. Alright crush, she'll go with that.

…

Oh what the heck, she'd already determined she was in love with Dino from the day she publicly broke down into tears. Elsa shifted her eyes to the side.

"See, you can't deny love." Bianchi grinned.

Twitch. _Could you please refrain from directly uttering that word?_

"You should openly embrace it."

"I can't do that anymore." Elsa muttered solemnly, "I don't want to get my hopes up for something so stupid."

This was awkward. She was discussing her love life with her idol. Really, it should have been a passionate conversation about assassination techniques and how to look good while killing a man.

Bianchi started, "Love is not—"

The door slammed open, a hyperactive Lambo stood proudly in front with his tiny hands on his hips, "I, Lambo-san, am ready to eat breakfast!"

"Well then go eat it, don't tell me that, sheesh" Elsa hurried the infant out, then bent down beside her suitcase to rummage for a change of clothes. Bianchi stared at the supposedly plain, ordinary girl, from the countryside in Italy, with interest. Elsa was avoiding the topic, and Bianchi wanted to know why. Why on earth would any ordinary girl _not _be interested in a blooming relationship with a man she loved? Heck, Bianchi would find out. She left the room in deep thoughts.

Elsa slumped back with relief, she wiped the back of her palm across her forehead. "Phew…I'm glad she left it at that…"

She still idolized the woman, though – she needed a rest from her love-filled presence. Elsa shuffled around her suitcase for a plain shirt, she pulled one out, and then cocked an eyebrow, "These aren't my clothes…?" Well, they didn't look bad but she had to emphasize they weren't _hers._ Her eyes flickered to something yellow tucked into a blouse. It was a sticky note.

**Hey Elsa,**

**Thought you might need some new clothes, after all, you should dress up a little more. ****Don't kill me.**

**From your one and only number one fiancé,**

**Dino.**

Hey, was that implying something? Elsa thought. Dino was such an idiot, if he were here she would've—

Her cheeks turned red and she quickly dug in for a pair of jeans. When she found one she unraveled it out in front of her.

Nice, a pair of tight jeans. What was going through Dino's mind when he picked these out? Ah whatever, anything warm would do. After Elsa had completely changed she ended up with a pretty flashy leather jacket, with gold tinted zips, over a creamy turtle neck. Taking her toothbrush she headed out the door where the rest were eating at the table, excluding Tsuna. They all turned their gaze.

"Good morning Elsa, where are you going so early? Aren't you going to have breakfast?" Nana asked.

"Me? I'm not going—" Great…she overdressed didn't she? Elsa sighed, "—I'm…just going to look around town."

"Do you know your way around?"

"I think so?"

"I'll go with her Mamma," Reborn cut in.

"What?" Elsa looked confused.

"Well eat before you go, I want you looking good for your wedding!" Nana chirped.

"Wait what?"

"NYAHAHA You'll get fat!" Lambo chortled, raising a fork in the air.

_I hate kids. _Elsa went into the bathroom and shut the door.

_**2 Years ago…**_

_January xx of the xx month_

_Dr. Verde I don't know how to say this __but I think I've finally fallen in l...__I think I like someone. I'd like to ask whether I should push on with it or wait a little longer? His name is Vincenzo Mancini, I met him on my way to school. He suddenly began talking to me and he said he'd noticed me during breaks. He said he thought I was cool for looking cold all the time, funny. You know what, this is embarrassing, I'll tell you more some other time. _

_Elsa. _

_**xxxx**_

"So um…where is this place?" Elsa asked, strolling alongside Reborn.

"Where you wanted to be, town" Reborn blatantly replied.

The shops around her were quite empty this morning (of course), Reborn abruptly stopped in front and turned around. He held out a high-tech cell phone and she took it. Elsa flipped it open and probed around the buttons.

"Dino told me to give you that. It's a satellite phone, he'll call you during the day."

"Jeez, he didn't have to…" Elsa muttered. Reborn started walking the opposite direction, "Where are you going?"

"To watch over Tsuna, I'll come back for you in the evening." He said coolly.

Elsa watched in awe as he strolled into the distance casually. Gosh she loved that Arcabaleno baby, even though he'd fooled her once or twice. She placed her hands on her hips and scanned the area. There were pubs – lots of them. The town kind of looked familiar, had she been here before? She asked herself. And she didn't bring a single cent with her so she had no idea what she was going to do, if only Dino were here for her to leech off—

She really had to stop doing that. It was all too easy for her to start thinking about him again and again, it was almost like she was obsessed with him. Yuck, she certainly didn't want that. Love was bad enough. Elsa began blindly looking around town; window shopping was number one priority right now.

**xxxx**

Jeez, she could honestly say she was an idiot. She was now officially, completely, utterly, lost. And the time, she had no idea. She cursed with irritation and began kicking an empty can of soda around, her stomach rumbled at her desperately.

"Shut up I know I should have stayed at Sawada's house, don't rub it in."

She wandered further down the street. The sun was beginning to set. She then abruptly stopped at a very recognizable pub with fluorescent pink and yellow neon nights flickering on and off, no bouncer, and was eerily dim inside. She pushed the glass door open and stepped inside. All eyes were set on her. AH! It was Brawny, Skinny, Stubby, and the rest of the friendly Yakuza crew.

"ELSA FROM ITALY!" They all boomed. Apparently the pub was their home.

"How are you?" Brawny lifted her from the ground, embracing her tightly. She was dropped to the floor again.

"Y-You all remember me?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course we do, ever since that day your hot fiancée took us out we never forgot you." All eyes were on him for mentioning the word _hot_.

"That's nice." Elsa chuckled lightheartedly. She was at ease with these people, "Could I have a beer on the house?" She plopped herself on a stool.

"Just one this time Miss Elsa, don't want you stripping again. Are you even allowed here?" The bartender asked.

"Yea won't we get beat up again?" They chorused.

"Ah you don't have to worry. He's gone back to Italy for some mafia problem." A pint of beer was placed in front of her, she sipped on it meekly.

"Gee, he left you again? Aren't you lonely Els?"

"Yea no offense, but he's not a very good lover."

"He's not my—"The cell phone began vigorously vibrating in the pocket of her jacket. She took it out and answered it, "Hello?"

"Miss me already Els?" Dino's jovial chuckles were like music to her ears.

"Oh what do you want?" Elsa bluntly said, refraining herself from squealing with joy.

"I guess not," He sighed, "Well I'm done with my business over here, the troublemakers agreed to stay off our turf."

"Oh, that's good…" Elsa hesitated. The men around her leaned in closer for a listen, "…does that mean, well, you'll be…c-coming um…back…soon?" She coughed.

"About that I—"

A bell-like torturous voice cut in, "Eto…Elsa-chan, how nice to hear from you! Italy is such a beautiful place ne? I envy you so much!"

Elsa's face went pale. She clenched the phone tightly, "Y-Y-Y-YANO? What are you doing in Italy with Dino?"

"Ano…I wanted to see Dino's residence for a change. Eto. He's always been visiting me and for _years _too so I thought I would go over to him for a change ne? I hope you don't mind! Whenever I see Dino these days in Japan he's usually busy with you, so I always felt a little left out…"

Every word felt like she was spitting on Elsa's face.

How on earth did this damn wretch get so close to Dino? Elsa was getting pissed off. Heck, she'd hate to spell it out, but it was obvious even to herself she was JEALOUS.

"Sorry Elsa, now you know. I can't be back in Japan for a few days, I promised Yano I'd take her around haha…there goes my wallet." Dino sighed through the phone.

"Wait—Dino I—" The anger was causing her to choke on her own words, "I-I can't keep crashing at Sawada's house!"

"Hey it's fine! Tsuna's like my little brother he won't mind. Reborn's there too, and so it Poison Scorpion, you idolize her don't you? You can get to know her better!" He then mumbled, "…even though she tried to kill me before."

"That's not the point idiot!" She squawked, her infuriation building up. She was embarrassing herself again for this bone head.

"Jeez, I'm sorry."

"You…URGH!"

"Calm down Els…I really can't go back yet, after Yano paid for the ticket and all just to see me."

Elsa stood up and slammed her fist on the bar table, causing the glass bottles on the shelves to shake. The men jumped back in shock, and Dino flinched through the phone at the sound.

Yano this, Yano that, Yano was everywhere!

Elsa screamed angrily, "If you really give a damn about that two-faced Yano that flippin' much, why didn't you just go ahead and marry _her_ in the first place instead of holding some stupid audition and putting some innocent girl through hell?"

Dino hesitated. A pang of distress hit him. "Hey what's wrong? Do you really hate it that much?"

Elsa couldn't say anything, the anger had overtaken her. There relationship was getting worse and worse because of her, but she couldn't help it. She felt dizzy. She picked up her pint of beer and chugged it down with three big gulps. She slammed it down and exasperatedly huffed.

"A-Are you okay?" Brawny asked.

Dino then realized where she was, he shouted frantically at her, "Wait—Elsa where are you?"

She shut her eyes and tightened her grip on the phone, "Dino. I knew it was too good to be true, I was about to give it a chance but then you blew it. Don't bother calling again, I can party hard all I want, I'm seventeen for god's sake."

"Give what a chance? Elsa! HEY—!"

She threw the phone on the ground with much force and it smashed into bits. She turned to everyone and smirked, "If he comes back to Japan for me I'll go through with it and open up, if he doesn't then call me heartless, love would officially be for suckers."

"T-Tell him what? Elsa what happened?" Skinny asked.

"I'll tell you guys if you get me another beer."

Elsa knew she was being selfish, but she also knew she wasn't going to let it happen a fourth time. This was her life to live.

_**2 Years ago…**_

_February xx of the xx month_

_Dear ,_

_I am ecstatic right now. I…Vincenzo has been talking to me everyday for at least a month now. He even walks me to and from school. And today he…said he wanted to meet up with me after school, I think I can open up to him. He's not like the others. I want to believe that._

_Elsa._

_**xxxx**  
_


	20. Lonely Swine Part 3

_Disclaimer – Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. _

Viola! Here's a little something for you guys. Elsa based on her Chapter 16 photo (her hair is groomed here), and well this is it:

http:/img840(dot)imageshack(dot)us/img840/7231/elsadeluca(dot)jpg

If it doesn't work then give me a shout out in the reviews. I tried my very best to draw Reborn-style and did a little research, hope it turned out right. Just note that this drawing is only _my_ interpretation.

Let me know what you think of it too, I like to draw so opinions are great!

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

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**Chapter 20**

**Lonely Swine Part 3**

_**2 Years ago…**_

_March xx of the xx month_

_ you're coming back soon aren't you? Only one month to go and I've go so much to tell you. Vincenzo comes over to my house every now and then, he cooks for me and we talk for hours. He's not like any other boy I've met, I'm absolutely in love with him! He's gentle, he listens to me, he's the only one that knows everything, do you think I've done the right thing by telling him? I don't regret it, because he told me I'm amazing for going through all that and no one has ever called me amazing…I'm blushing. Oh, I think I'll try again, one more time. _

_Wish me luck._

_Elsa._

_**xxxx**_

"That's..." Brawny searched for the right word, "…not good."

Stubby turned to him, "Not good? It's crazy! She—"

"Shush…" Elsa muttered wearily, her fist was clenched against her forehead and her elbows were rested on the bar.

"Is it really alright to be telling us?" The bartender asked, placing a glass of water in front of her, "We're just a bunch of idlers, low profile Yakuza and a bartender"

"What does it matter? It won't spread."

She stared at the ice cubes with half lidded eyes, then sculled it down her throat. She let out a contented sigh and returned it to him, "In the end he missed it all…how predictable."

"Elsa you do know it takes fifteen hours from Italy to Japan?"

"My point is he didn't even _try _to get in contact with me in these four hours I've been here." Elsa huffed. What was she getting her hopes up for anyway? Dino was no superman, she _was _the one who broke his satellite phone in the first place, and it looked pretty expensive too…best to say someone stole it (ahem).

"Look, all I know is you should be going back to where you're staying right now. Have a good nights rest, and think about it tomorrow. If he hasn't called the house by tomorrow, then you can come back here and drink your heart out."

Elsa looked up at the compassionate bartender, her eyes gleaming with appreciation; he took a step back uneasily. She regained her posture and coughed to the side…how embarrassing, she was losing her cool appearance (wishful thinking). He chuckled warmly. Elsa never realized this until now, but when you really looked at the , he was quite young and fine, most likely in his early twenties. His features were rather attractive, but not evidently unless you really observed – or ogled in her case. It was the type of attractive where the more you gazed at him the better looking he would become, it was a strange deduction made by Elsa but nonetheless entirely true. His eyes were a dull, cinnamon brown, and his dark hair was groomed back. But of course compared to Dino he was still a nothing. Elsa mentally slapped herself for making such a comment. She had to stop thinking about that bone head, she was meant to be mad at him.

"Hey Jun stop hitting on Elsa, you saw her fiancé!" Stubby scoffed, turning from a game of poker that had started. This was what Elsa liked about these people, their blasé attitude was the reason she could leak all her secrets to them.

"Who's hitting on who? I have a wife and two kids you know…" Jun – apparently was his name.

_A family as his age, how nice. _And on that fleeting moment Elsa envied his children, yes not him – his children.

_Crap, I was meant to meet reborn four hours ago!_

Elsa jumped off her stool, "AH! I'm late! See you guys some other time!" She scrambled for the door and rammed it open.

"See you Elsa!" The friendly bunch boomed.

"Hey!" Jun called before she could let go of the door.

Elsa halted and turned around.

"How do you say good luck in Italian?"

"_Buona fortuna_"She replied with a smirk, and before shutting the door, she waved her hand, "_Ciao._"

**xxxx**

It was raining – no – pouring, actually. Elsa ran in the hammering downpour with her leather jacket draped over her head. Her socks were soaked with water and her shoes were filled like buckets. She made for the nearest shelter in front of a convenience store and dropped the jacket to the floor. She wringed her dripping hair and pulled her sleeves up. The cotton material of the turtle neck sweater was damp. She sat in the cement floor and pulled her right shoe off, letting the water run out. She began to shiver.

"D-Damn…n-never should have broken t-the s-satellite phone…" Her teeth chattered, she hugged her knees and watched the cars drive by. Her eyebrows furrowed, "I-If it weren't for t-that p-p-pea brain I would've gotten b-back before the r-rain…"

She sat there and waited alone in the dark begrudgingly.

_**2 Years ago…**_

_The 15 year old Elsa – her was hair long, wavy, frizzy and a light tone, her eyes dull. She leaned against the post and waited eagerly for that young man to appear. She'd been waiting for an hour now, or maybe even longer, but she didn't mind, as long as she got to see him everything would be perfect. She was even contemplating on confessing for the very first time, because that was how much she believed he was the right one. _

_Her cell phone began to ring, she picked it up. _

"_Hello?" _

"_Hey erm…" A bass, gentle voice spoke through the phone._

"_Vincenzo? Where are you?" Elsa asked with extreme kindness in her voice._

"_I'm…at your house…" _

"_Huh? What are you doing there?" _

"_Could you…come here? I have something to show you, thanks." He hung up. _

"_Hey wait—"Elsa looked perplexedly at her cell phone. After a few moments, she jolted from the post and made her way home._

_**xxxx**_

Tsuna had been home for quite a while now, it was nine thirty. Dinner had long passed and Reborn was busy polishing his handgun, not giving a damn whatsoever.

"Tsuna, has Elsa come back yet?" Nana asked anxiously.

"No Mom, no sign of her." Tsuna replied, worried himself.

"Could you go out and look for her?"

Tsuna sighed, "Mom! There's not way I'll be able to find her in this rain!"

"What is something happened to her…? Oh, what would we tell Dino?"

"I don't know!" Tsuna turned to Reborn, "Reborn you should have gone with her!"

He didn't reply, and continued wiping on the handle.

_He's ignoring me! _Tsuna heard the phone ring, then dashed for it.

"Hello?"

"Sawada-san is Miss Luca there?" Romario asked anxiously.

"Eh…R-Romario-san? No she hasn't come back yet, what happened?"

"She won't pick up the cell phone we gave her, Boss thinks she's out drinking!"

"What?"

"Boss…" Romario sighed through the phone, "...and Miss Luca had a small argument over the phone…and he thinks she broke it after hanging up. But before that, he heard someone talking in the background."

_Great, now what do we do? _Tsuna started began stressing out, he looked at Reborn who was _still _polishing his handgun.

"Boss hired a jet and should be there in an hour, if she gets back tell her the Boss is coming!"

"Y-Yea sure…"

"Thank you Vongola Tenth, we are indebted to you!" Romario hung up.

Tsuna put the phone down and stood behind the infant hitman. Reborn stowed away his handgun and finally stood up.

"Reborn, we really should be looking for Elsa! What if something happened to her?" Tsuna cried frantically.

"Dino called me half an hour ago, it seems he arrived earlier than expect. He should be out looking for Elsa right now."

"Oh…then Dino is?"

Reborn smirked profoundly at him, "Tsuna, we shouldn't interfere in a lover's quarrel, it's taboo."

_This guy…_Tsuna sweat-dropped, heading back to his room with a lump off his chest.

_**2 Years ago…**_

_Elsa had ran as hard as she could, she abruptly stopped at the front door of her house, a quaint, simple house built with olive tinted bricks. There was a thin layer of moss growing under the windows. The door was auburn red, the wood had chipped around the bottom left corner and the hinges at the edge had turned a rusty bronze. _

_She looked around for Vincenzo, he was nowhere to be seen. That was strange? Her mother must have let him in the house, although, that was strange too – her mother was hardly at home. _

_Elsa opened the door and stepped in. She could hear voices down the narrow hallway towards her bedroom. She hesitated, was he in her room? Elsa contemplated in her head whether she should go forward or not, something told her waiting in the lounge was the best thing to do. But she couldn't wait any longer, the boy she so loved was standing in her own house right now. Elsa quietly walked down the hallway, the door of her room was slightly opened. Before waltzing in, she froze at the sound of moaning._

"_Are you sure it's alright to be doing this to her?" A woman's voice asked seductively._

_A familiar bass voice sighed, "I only became friends with her to get to you."_

"_How naughty" The woman chuckled, only to follow with a moan._

"_What about you? Asking me to call her here while we're in the middle of this…"_

"_Shut up little boy, I'm only human. Only adults would understand…" Another moan let out._

_Elsa froze. Her arm went stiff in mid air. Her feet were nailed to the ground. Her mind went blank. Droplets of sweat began running down her forehead, eventually reaching the nape of her neck. Her eyes were burning, she couldn't blink. Her body felt cold, extremely cold. But she just stood there, listening to the adulterous sounds that filled her ears to the brim. Her eyes began watering, her bottom lids were wavering. Elsa remained unmoving the entire time. She went numb.  
_

_When all was quiet again, she walked down the hallway and dropped to her knees. Elsa wept inaudibly for the hours after that._

_**xxxx**_

It was still raining heavily, and Elsa was beginning to sneeze every now and then. She contemplated on whether or not she should walk in the convenience store and ask to stay there until the rain had stopped, but had reached the conclusion if she wasn't going to purchase anything the old geezer standing at the counter would probably give her the finger. Elsa sighed, pulling the flaps of her leather jacket tightly around her. She was bored, and wondered if the rain would ever stop. She also wondered if Dino was actually going to board a flight to check up on her – it would have been probable if Yano wasn't around.

"Elsa? Is that you?" A familiar voice spoke from behind.

She scrambled up from the curb and lifted her head at the tall figure. Was it Dino?

"What are you doing here? I thought you went back to the place you were staying at?" It was Jun the bartender, holding a grey umbrella and cradling a carton of eggs in his hands.

"Oh it's you," Elsa's face dropped a little, she dusted her jeans as she stood up, "I didn't have an umbrella, and I also don't know my way back."

He chuckled, "Well that's smart, you should have just stayed with us then."

"Erm…" Elsa grimaced, slightly flushed.

"Do you know the address for the house you're staying at?"

"N-No…I just know I'm staying with a boy called Tsunayoshi Sawada."

"Sorry, I don't know any Sawada's…"

Elsa's face dropped even more. She scratched the back of head awkwardly.

"I'll tell you what, I'm on my way home right now. Why don't you stay at my place for the night, and then we'll go look for the Sawada residence in the morning?"

Elsa's eyes widened. Could there be anyone kinder in this world?

"Err…a-are you sure?" Her eyes shifted to the side modestly, "Your wife…and all…"

"Oh she'll be out clubbing all night and won't be home until tomorrow."

_Right, they're still in their twenties…clubbing. _Elsa thought.

"Won't your erm…kids get the wrong idea?"

"Elsa, my family doesn't doubt me. I married when I was eighteen you know?"

That actually didn't make things any better.

Elsa blushed, embarrassed. Laying her pride down once again, she accepted. Although he could be lying or could be some shady criminal ready to ship her off for slave trade, where else could she go? And besides, being (apparently) a married man, she trusted him more than Dino. She followed Jun into his car, much less luxurious than Dino's European big brands. She apologized for the trouble, and they drove off into the distance through the heavy rain.


	21. Lonely Swine Part 4

_Disclaimer – Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. _

Yes, in the drawing of Elsa she was meant to appear like a tomboy, glad most of you realized that :)

I realized this fanfiction is turning melodramatic…oh and a lot of you wanted a jealous Dino, I'll keep that in mind.

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

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**Chapter 21**

**Lonely Swine Part 4**

The night was quite relaxing, it was much easier to sleep without Poison Scorpion's superior self laying beside her. Elsa felt rejuvenated for once, not worn out or completely wasted, neither did she feel a need to worry. She peered at her oversized shirt; the sleeves passed her fingertips. Jun had thoughtfully allowed Elsa to sleep in his room despite the fact she had kept refusing his all too generous offer. She knew his apartment was small, and he might have been embarrassed by that, but to insist on letting her sleep on the bed he and his wife slept on – Elsa felt like an intruder. How Jun had convinced her, well, let's just say it was either the kids or his queen sized bed, and Elsa was afraid of another Lambo.

"Jun…um…are my clothes dry?" Elsa asked, sitting awkwardly at the dining table with a steaming omelet, dribbled with ketchup in front of her.

"Nope, still damp, you can borrow my wife's clothes."

"Damp is fine…don't worry about it…" Elsa said coyly.

Jun chuckled at her stiffness, he poured Elsa a glass of water and placed it beside her plate, "You know, you're more shy than I thought."

"No, I've always been a shy person," Elsa sighed, relaxing a bit and eating mouthful. She swallowed, and then raised her fork at Jun, "I've just mellowed down these passed two years…"

"Is it because…?"

Elsa smirked, "Whatever I am now is because of it, and I don't regret anything. It's taught me a valuable lesson."

"You should really tell your fiancé"

Elsa frowned a little. It was easy for a person to say that, but it was never easy for a person to understand why secrets were constantly being kept – especially traumatic ones.

It was in her nature to change, constantly change when something momentous happened, and because of this she did not know herself or her place. Her past was somewhat fragmented and limited to bits and pieces of whatever was left – none of it was good. What she had told the men yesterday were only the seeds in a fruit, tasteless. If she were to tell Dino, she was sure everything would come back in a damaging, barbarous rush. If she were to tell Dino, it was possible he'd find her a burden, or think of her as a whiny bitch…but then again it wasn't in Dino's character to think like that. Instead, he'd pity her, and as a prideful seventeen year old on the brink of becoming a young adult, pity was a direct insult to that pride. Furthermore, she assumed he still thought of her as a mercenary. This wasn't true anymore though, her feelings were genuine and delicate, but still, they were stupid. Thus she simply couldn't tell Dino of her harrowing, tormenting past, and the overall reason being she just didn't have guts or determination.

Elsa hesitated to take another mouthful, ignoring his comment she continued to eat at a slow pace. Jun realized her discomfort and he began folding his bartender's uniform in silence. When Elsa had finished her plate, she immediately rose from her chair, picked the plate up and headed toward the kitchen. Jun rushed to her side and took the job away from her, "You're the guest, this is for me to do, just make yourself at home."

"Thanks…" Elsa bit her lip. Acts of kindness always let off butterflies in her stomach, it seemed to be happening a lot ever since she came to Japan.

"Psssss…big sis" A childish voice whispered from behind. Elsa turned around, only to see two little girls with dark hair, gorgeous hair. They were adorable; their big round eyes gazed at Elsa with stunning innocence. One was clinging onto the other timidly, "Are you a mistress?"

"NO!"

"Mistress? What is this about?" A high, soprano voice chuckled. A woman came from the doorway and kneeled before the children, she pecked them both on the forehead. She was beautiful, dark hair spilling across her shoulders, her featured sharply defined, her slim body endowed shapely. The woman looked at her without a smile. Elsa felt intimidated. The woman stood up again, "Oh, who is this?"

"You're home" Jun came out and greeted the woman with open arms. She stood up and embraced him, her forehead buried against his chest. And in that fleeting moment, Elsa felt envious of them. They began to kiss affectionately, and Elsa turned away from the adoring moment with a blush.

They parted, but still held onto each others hand.

"Haruka, this is Elsa." Jun said, waving for Elsa to come over.

Elsa came over nervously and bowed her head, "T-Thank you for…err…letting me stay…I'll be gone before twelve so…"

"So _you're _the one with the mafia boss. I've been wanting to meet you!" Haruka chimed, "A criminal life must be so exciting!"

"Huh? Ehh…well not really…"

"And don't you worry, you stay here as long as you like!"

"N-No I couldn't…"

"The police are tracking you down aren't they? Well we'll be your alibi's!"

"Actually I'm just here on a holiday…kind of…"

"Dear, she got lost on her way back last night…" Jun said.

"Oh. Well that's boring." Haruka sighed, "Make yourself at home anyway"

"I really should be getting back now…"

_Dino's probably having the time of his life with Yano. _

"Well then I'll take you there, where are you staying?" Haruka asked.

"With a woman called Nana Sawada and her son Tsunayoshi Sawada"

"Hmm…I don't know them…"

"Maaa, you promised us play time!" The two little girls tugged onto Haruka's coat.

"Elsa, these are my kids. Tomoya and Tomoko, they're twins." Jun said, walking over to pet their heads, "Say hi to big sis"

"You don't look like any of us?" They questioned, examining Elsa's foreign features.

"I'm from Italy"

"Elsa, I'll drive you around the area at twelve, we've still got time so why don't you spend some time with us!" Haruka suggested rather excitedly. Elsa had no choice but to accept their generosity. Besides, Dino wasn't coming.

**xxxx**

"Luciano any information?" Dino asked with fraught.

Luciano shook his head regretfully, "No sign of her boss…"

"Tch…how far could she have gone…?"

"Boss! There's been a sighting of Miss Luca!"

"Well then get the car ready!"

Dino had been searching for his troublemaking fiancée all night and hadn't an ounce or wink of sleep. He knew he shouldn't have left that girl alone, knowing her knack for trouble.

Before he'd hired a personal jet and rushed his way to Namimori, it took a good thirty minutes to convince Yano to stay put and that he'd come back after things were settled with Elsa. He didn't understand why Elsa was so infuriated with him, in fact he never did whenever she was. Her unpredictable nature was as always, and as a consequence he was always worrying about her, she was like a younger sister to him and because of that, he felt it was his duty to keep her safe. But he always felt there was a barrier between the two of them, they rarely talked about each other whenever they were together.

Dino arrived with his men at a familiar district, he stood in front of a shady pub with the pink, flickering neon lights. He burst in with his men swarming around the tables. Ah, now he remembered, this was the place Elsa had gotten drunk!

"HEY you can't just burst in like that, the bar's closed!" Brawny hollered.

Dino eyed him menacingly and Brawny retreated back, however, upon realizing who Dino was, he jabbed a finger at the foreigner in mid air, "You—you're Elsa's fiancé! The one in the mafia!"

"Where is she?" Dino pulled out a whip.

"Hey, leave him alone! It's your fault Elsa was upset last night, not him!"

"She was here?" Dino turned to the plump man seated at an interrupted game of poker.

"Yea she was here, but what's it to you? You don't need her or nothing!"

Dino had no flippin' idea what these people were talking about. Instead, he growled at Brawny while tightening his whip, "I'm warning you, if you've done something to her..."

"Heh, I would never do something to the poor girl."

"Poor girl?"

"Elsa's been through so much and yet you don't give a damn about her!"

"What are you all talking about?"

"Ask her yourself."

"Look, I don't want to hurt any of you. I just want to find Elsa. Deal?"

Suddenly, the door swung open, a man in a bartender's uniform came in with a bag over his shoulder, "Hey guys I'm—what's all this about?"

"Jun! Elsa's fiancé is here to take her back!"

Dino looked at him strangely, the two met eye to eye. Jun's expression turned stiff and rather angry, "You – you left Elsa sitting in the rain _waiting _for you while you stayed with another girl."

Everyone seemed to be misunderstanding poor Dino lately. He lowered his whip and took a few steps forward, "I left her with trusted people, and I came here as fast as I could!"

"And you stayed with another girl!"

"She's a good friend of mine that came to visit!"

"What kind of trusted people let a girl roam around these districts and lose her way back? She was hoping you'd come for her!"

"You know where she is?"

"By chance I saved her, but I'm not telling you where she is."

Dino's head was spinning. He hadn't a clue why these people were so snappy toward him, was it because Elsa really hated being forced into the Cavallone family? He had so much to ask her and none of these people were being helpful on telling him where she was. Luciano observed with much fascination, what he could determine from this protest against his boss was that Elsa had finally fallen head over heels for Dino. This was great news, for Luciano at least.

"Could you please just tell me where she is?" Dino sighed resignedly.

"I'll tell you if you give me a good reason to."

"She's a very important person to me."

"Explain."

"Jeez, she's my fiancée! She's like a little sister to me!"

Jun's expression dropped, and so did all the others – including Dino's men. Luciano let out a long, solemn sigh. What kind of person considers their own fiancée like a little sister? Dino apparently.

"Dino?" A husky, familiar female voice suddenly called from behind. Dion recognized that voice from anywhere, he turned around. Elsa, holding a bag of her damp clothes, wearing a pair of jeans too long for her, was staring blankly at the blonde, "You actually came?"

"ELS?" Dino sprinted from his position and grabbed onto Elsa's arm, she flinched at his rough grip and took a stumbled back, "Are you alright? What happened on the phone? What were you doing last night? Where have you been?"

"S-Shut up you ask too many questions…I'm still alive aren't I?" Elsa turned away from him and grimaced. She didn't think he'd really come thousands of miles away just to check up on her, men like him just didn't exist, there had to be a flaw.

"Are you still mad at me? You can come back to Italy if you really hate it here"

"What goes on in that head of yours? I wasn't mad at you because I hated it here. I was mad because…" Elsa looked at the people around her, it was like a live show for them, "Dino can we talk about it somewhere else?"

"Yea…" Dino was worn out. He motioned for his men to head out, and soon the pub had emptied to its original state.

"Thanks for letting me stay and all...I'll go and say goodbye to Haruka on my way out" Elsa thanked Jun sincerely, whom had not stopped glaring at Dino standing behind her.

"It's alright Elsa, Haruka likes you and so do the kids. You should visit us as well as the pub regularly, I work afternoon and night shifts."

"Yea…" Elsa smiled faintly, but gratefully, "I need to return these clothes your wife lent to me anyway."

Jun stuck out his hand and Elsa took it, assuming he wanted a mutual handshake. Instead, he drew his arms around her, gently pressing her head against his shoulder. Elsa's eyes widened with revelation. Dino flinched. The pub men around them gasped.

"Elsa, I may not be much older than you…" He spoke softly, but loud enough for her to hear. He drew her in closer, "…but if you ever need a father figure, or a mother figure, visit us. You've been through alot"

Elsa bit her lip. She really didn't want to bother his family any more than she did. She nodded slightly, "Okay…"

He released her, and she hurried outside where Jun's car was waiting. She stuck her head inside the car, "Haruka, my fi—I mean Dino is here, thanks for everything."

"Oh, this is sudden! Is it that man behind you?"

Dino who had followed her smiled courteously at Haruka. She blushed and gave him a nod back. She then leaned forward to whisper in Elsa's ear, "Handsome one isn't he?"

Elsa retreated back, she waved to the children at the back seat.

The waved back, "Bye sis, it was fun playing games with you!"

**xxxx**

Elsa was back in Dino's luxurious, crimson, sports vehicle, sitting beside him in the passenger seat. She hadn't thought about what would happen next and whether she'd be going back to Italy or not. She wanted to stay – that was a fact – but she also wanted to follow Dino. Neither of them said a word, but Elsa could feel the fed-up mood Dino was in, well, he didn't show it but considering Elsa's actions it was likely. She knew she had been selfish by forcing Dino to come back, and this made her want to repent. She made a bet that if he came back for her she would tell him everything, but now she was hesitating, and because of that it was hurting her pride even more.

Dino's face looked too serious for her liking. Elsa glanced at one of the side mirrors, only to see none of his men were following them. The car suddenly came to a halt on a curb, the engine stopped as Dino turned the ignition. Elsa was frightened, for the first time in her life she was frightened of him. He leaned back against his seat and closed his eyes, sighing exasperatedly, "Talk."

"I forgot what I was saying."

"You were explaining to me why you were so mad over the phone"

"…" _No point trying to avoid it._

"Well, why were you mad at me?"

"Because I was…err…" _Jealous? Envious? Resentful? Like hell I can say that. _

Dino waited with his arms crossed.

"Drunk." She stated blatantly.

"How many did you drink this time?"

"Eight…ten…I'm not sure haha…" She lied.

"Elsa, you shouldn't drink anymore, I'm not going to stop you but it worries me every time you do!"

"Y-Yeah…I'll try not to…"

Dino found it weird she wasn't rebelling, "Is that all you had to say?"

"Yes." More lies.

"You had me worried sick…I think you should follow me back to Italy."

"Okay" She said simply.

He went silent for a moment, then spoke again, "By the way. Who was that man?"

"Err…Jun? I stayed at his place for the night…"

"What?"

"With his wife and kids."

"Jeez, don't scare me like that…"

"I always scare you. Don't I?" Elsa chuckled at this truth, "You idiot."

Dino looked at her in the strangest way. It was the first time he'd heard her laugh so naturally and timidly. He liked it.

"And why was he hugging you?"

"…a goodbye hug." More lies.

"I see."

"How is…err…Yano?" Elsa couldn't believe she was asking about her. But if it could change the subject then it was worth it.

Dino didn't respond. He went awfully quiet, and this made Elsa panic. What had Yano done this time? If Elsa could deduce correctly, it was most likely something stupid like her dragging Dino out to shop. Elsa hoped Dino wouldn't take what she'd yelled at him yesterday, over the phone, seriously…

"She confessed to me the moment we met." Dino said, blushing faintly.

…_what?_

Elsa froze. She shifted her eyes down, "Confess as in…?"

"Els…she told me she's loved me for years!"

Oh god no. She expected flirting, but not THIS.

"What…did you say?"

Dino brushed his golden tresses back and slumped in his seat, "I told her to wait."

"…I see" Pierce.

He sighed, "The truth is, I _did _use to like her"

Gunfire. That was all she could hear in her head. His words were like gremlins plucking at the flesh in her heart bit by bit, deteriorating it to nothing but a bloody mess, and eventually her death. Okay, she was being dramatic, but it hurt. It was like everything she felt from her past was being rejuvenated. Please, she begged, let this all be a mistake. She knew loving this man was a sick joke, she knew it. If only someone had stopped her and beaten some sense into her naive head. Elsa cringed. It was too late now, it hurt. Was he deliberately throwing daggers into her chest? One thing after another, what more could he say?

"Oh." A composed response from Elsa.

"And that's why when you told me I should have just gone with her in the first place, I did consider it before…" Dino flashed his trademark smile at Elsa, "But if I had done that, I would have never met you!"

This was killing her. She had ought to say it now before she regretted it, "I—"

"You're like a little sister to me Els!"

Canon ball. And at that very moment, Elsa wished desperately that this was all a bad dream, and that she could return to day one, before she was born. If so, then maybe life wouldn't have been as hard and painful to live.


	22. Realizing

_Disclaimer – Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. _

In memory of onemanga, the online manga website that I grew up with, it is forever in my memories. Exam tomorrow, I fail. There's nothing exciting about this chapter I warn you.

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

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**Chapter 22**

**Realizing**

The suitcase that lay in the guest room of the Sawada household hadn't been touched since Elsa had left the house, so the clothes that were specially chosen and bought for her by the Cavallone boss were still waiting to be used.

Elsa had returned to her hotel room and was ordered to pack her things in a rush. Her shabby clothes were stored in her very first suitcase which she had brought with her to the Cavallone mansion; it was one of the few things that were from back home in Southern Italy. There was also her diary filled with (all but one) blank pages – oh – and there was that ring she both cherished and despised so much. Elsa reminisced the time when she would wear it every day and every night, but its value had worn out long ago. Something else had also recently lost its value – Elsa reached under her shirt and pulled out her newest addition, but this time a polished gold, and whether Dino would realize or not, it didn't matter to her anymore. She pried open the suitcase and poked around for her diary, but she couldn't find it. She dug a little deeper, the feeling of anxiousness began building up inside. She then ended up tipping everything out onto the floor – no diary.

_Oi, what the hell? _She thought, jumping up to raid her room. Elsa crawled under the bed and patted around the floor, she searched the drawers, the cupboards, the bathroom, the bathroom drawers, under the bed sheets…she searched every nook and cranny but her diary was nowhere to be found - well, that and her silver ring!

"Dino—I mean uhh—Luciano!" She cried, still searching frantically.

Her door was kicked open, Luciano burst in, "What's wrong?" Apparently he'd been ordered to stand outside her room.

"You didn't have to break the door?" She gaped in disbelief.

"Well I was told my your beloved to look after you, of course I'd be worried enough to bring the door down." Luciano huffed, placing his hands on his hips.

"Who's my beloved?" Elsa raised an eyebrow.

Luciano smirked skeptically. He shook his head with disbelief, "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Elsa who do you think you're talking to?"

She stared at him, clueless.

"I was in love, much like yourself."

Elsa chortled, a contemptuous kind of chortle. She then threw her head back and laughed, "Oh please. Me? In Love? When pigs fly! Now help me find my diary."

"It's no use denying it, I heard about how much you missed Dino," He nodded his head with assurance, "I'm glad you finally realized his charms."

"Whatever you heard was all a lie, now help me find my diary, it's a black hardcover." Elsa continued to search high and low.

"Elsa, my perception is sharp, I didn't get in the mafia for being dim-witted like somebody—"

Elsa groaned, she leaned her forehead against the wall, she felt like damaging her brain a little – it was tempting. "Luciano. Will you promise not to flip if I tell you something…?"

"I can't promise you that, but tell me anyway."

She figured so.

"How much do you know about the relationship between Dino and Yano?" Elsa asked.

Luciano hesitated, he probed around Elsa's passive expression, searching for any signs of curiosity. There was none. That was strange – he could have sworn the minute Elsa reunited with Dino her eyes were glinting with infatuation.

"Well?" Elsa tried again.

"Uhh…if I told you, will you admit your affection for Dino?"

She sighed. "Yes, I will admit everything."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." She sighed.

"Boss used to visit Yano every week for a year." He said all in one breath.

"And…?"

"We suspected he did…DID have some feelings for her…" Much to his disdain.

"…but then?"

"He might have confessed to her at some point…"

"…but?"

"She rejected him and told him a long distance relationship would never work for her…and that a mafia life wasn't something she wanted…it's why I hate her."

"Ohh..." Elsa felt a pang of guilt for prying. She didn't think it was even possible for Dino to be rejected – the damn girl was out of her mind, did she think she was too good for him or something? Seriously.

"He then stopped visiting her regularly. He gave up I suppose…"

"That's…unfortunate." Elsa muttered. And to think she wanted to start hating him.

"So now that I've told you, it's your turn." Luciano crossed him arms.

"Well I…" Now that she knew the truth, things weren't as simple as she thought, "…I do have feelings for him I'll admit."

"I knew it! I thought it was odd for a girl not to realize his charms!" Luciano nodded proudly.

"But he only thinks of me as a little sister" Elsa said dejectedly, she frowned a little. "Although, now that you've told me this, I won't put the blame on him."

Luciano sighed, he walked over to her and patted her shoulder, "Don't give up, with effort comes a great reward. I'll help you with it."

"There was one other thing…he said he—he said he did consider proposing to Yano before and that she err…confessed to him in Italy."

"Oh, Elsa, we all knew that. We all knew that very well." Luciano said simply, "That's why you need to persevere and grab him back. After all, she'd just a stuck up, know-it-all, two-faced, man-stealing wh—"

"—whore," She snorted with a smirk. If fate was on her side, maybe the one last chance she'd given Dino and herself would work out, and if not, there were always nuns. "Help me find my diary."

Meanwhile, Dino sat in the lounge room a few storeys down, with his fingers wrapped firmly around his cell phone and a doting smile across his lips. He sank into the sofa and chuckled. To his men, whom were distanced around him, they could see their boss was immensely engaged in the conversation he was having over the phone with Yano, they assumed. Every once in a while he'd turn a shade of red and move the cell phone away from his ear and cough, then after regaining his composure he'd resume the talking – or flirting.

"Ciaossu." Said Reborn, seated on a windowsill with a coffee mug in his tiny hands.

"Hey I'll call you back alright? I'll be there first thing tomorrow morning." Dino said, he then whispered inaudibly through the phone. His men leaned in for a listen, but he had hung up before they could hear a thing.

"Reborn!" The men greeted.

"I heard that you've found Elsa, Mama has been very worried about her."

"Great to see you Reborn, we'll be dropping off at Tsuna's after Elsa finishes packing." Dino grinned at his unimpressed ex-tutor, staring at him.

"Is the wedding soon?" Reborn asked frankly.

"W-What?" Dino stammered.

"When is the wedding?" Reborn tried again.

Dino blinked a few times, "Wedding?" He said uneasily.

"With Elsa."

"H-Hey…isn't it a bit too early to be thinking about that?"

"You're a mafia boss, nothing is too early."

Dino averted his gaze, "I want to give it some time, that's all."

Reborn looked suspiciously at his student. There was no reason for him to interfere anymore, after all, he had a new student to worry about, and it was Dino's business who he wanted to spend his life with or without.

"I'm here to give you a message Dino." Reborn handed him a large envelope, stamped in red ink were the words **Top Secret**. Dino nodded silently and pulled the files out just to be sure they were what he wanted. They were medical files, signed and stamped under the name: Dr. Lianna Verde.

"I'll be going now." Reborn slid open the window and hopped out without further ado.

"Ivan."

"Yes Boss?"

"Keep these files safe and put them on my desk once we reach Italy." He instructed, handing it to the burly man.

"Yes!"

**xxxx**

Elsa was successful in finding her Diary, well, Luciano had found it lying on the desk beside Dino's bed in the opposite room. He didn't mention this to her, instead he'd told her it was under the pile of clothes she had tipped out and that she didn't search carefully enough. Upon arriving at the Sawada household to apologize for her sudden disappearance, she was greeted warmly by everyone. Bianchi had advised her to hang on to love and Elsa could only nod at this, not promising anything. Tsuna didn't have much to say, but a short goodbye and that she could come and visit them again. Nana on the other hand, gave her a motherly hug which made her stiff, but at the same time all fluttery on the inside. Lambo had poked a finger up his nose and wiped his snot across Elsa's jacket, which she later took off out of disgust. Now, having said their goodbyes to Tsuna and the others, they were on the plane on their way to Italy. Although it was a short stay, she'd miss them. But she knew for sure she'd be back soon.

On the plane, Elsa was (of course) seated beside Dino and fiddling with a pouch Nana had given to her as a goodbye gift. It was awkward, especially with Luciano boring holes through her head from the seat behind with his glaring eyes, urging her to make a move. Worst of all, she was beginning to feel plane sick and was afraid of embarrassing herself by puking all over the place.

Dino saw her discomfort, and ruffled her hair, "Are you feeling alright?"

She shied away with a flush, Luciano nudged her seat from behind. She grumbled, "I'm fine."

"You don't look alright, you're paling." Dino cupped her face in his hands and examined her closely, his expression was adorably concerned.

_Gah! Don't touch me! _Elsa panicked, slapping his hands away. Luciano nudged her seat harder this time.

"If you insist" Dino sat back into his seat comfortably. He unwrapped a pair of headphones and plugged it in the arm of his seat, he slid it over his ears. He pushed his seat back slightly and relaxed, "Wake me up if you do feel sick."

"You're going to sleep?" Elsa looked at him with disbelief. This was first class and he wasn't going to make the most of it? She guessed he was pretty much used to it already. "How boring…"

Dino just smiled at her, shutting his eyes, "I'm tired."

This just made things a whole lot worse, Dino was _sleeping _beside her…BESIDE HER…on a PLANE with people around them. What if she attacked him or something? Oh god he looked even more delicious than usual with that serene, handsome, peaceful, sleeping face of his. He didn't even snore. She wondered if Yano had ever been able to witness this once in a lifetime opportunity – most likely yes. She thought, it would have been easy for her to stroll across to Dino's barely-separated side of the room at the hotel, she had so many opportunities. Elsa then realized: by somewhat sharing a room, twice he had witnessed her in a towel, but he had never attempted to attack her even once. It was a good thing, it meant he was a gentlemen, but it also directly told her how unappealing she was. Damn that.

She felt something breathing above her head. She looked up, it was Luciano's smitten face staring across at Dino. Drool was accumulating in the corner of his lips. If she didn't know him, she would have mistakened him for some pedophile.

"What are you doing?" Elsa asked bluntly.

Luciano shot back into his seat hastily, causing the floor to shake, "D-Did anyone else see?"

"I don't think so."

"Phew…"

Elsa rolled her eyes, she pitied the poor man. She then began to feel queasy again, but at the same time her heart was thumping loudly for the sleeping man beside her. It wasn't a good combination because she didn't know whether to nap off the feeling and risk showing her sleeping face to Dino when he woke up, or stay wide awake and build up the nauseousness. Elsa put her pouch down and rested her head back, trying to relax. The plane suddenly shook vigorously. She grasped Dino's hand and jumped in fright.

Ding Dong. "Ladies and gentlemen we are currently experiencing turbulence, please be seated and fasten your seat-belt until we turn off the seat-belt sign."

_What the Vongola is turbulence? _Elsa panicked, tightening her grip on Dino's hand.

Dino lolled over to the side, threatening to fall off his seat. Elsa realized this, and pried around for his seat-belt – apparently he was sitting on it.

"Oh come on Dino I don't want to grope your butt just to save your life!" Elsa whispered loudly at him, "Wake up!"

He leaned further off his seat. Elsa hugged onto him, struggling to pull him back up. Great, now that both hands were occupied, how was she supposed to take his headphones off?

"Luciano?" Elsa gritted her teeth. Luciano poked his head up, his eyes widened at the loving scene.

"Good on you Elsa!" He whispered.

"No! I'm stuck…" The plane shook even more, "I'm falling!"

"What?" Luciano pulled off his seat-belt and shot up.

"Excuse me sir sit down, it's dangerous!" A stewardess came over and blocked his way.

"No you see my boss is in trou—"

"The toilets are not available right now so please wait a little longer" The stewardess sat him down and re-attached his seat-belt, walking back to her seat in the process. Luciano grumbled.

_Damn you heavy bone-head! _Elsa pulled with all her might, only just managing to plop him safely back onto his seat. She let out a sigh of relief, then turned to readjust his headphones. The _turbulence_ or whatever it was began to soften up. What a troublesome guy.

"I didn't think you would be that afraid I'd fall off my seat." Dino suddenly spoke, wide awake and smiling.

"YOU!" Elsa squawked, loud enough for the entire plane to hear.

"Thanks little sis." And before Elsa could give him a hard whack with her fist, he took off his headphones and slid it over her ears. Elsa's eyes widened, she froze as he brushed a finger across her cheek. His touch gave off a hot, tingling feeling as it left her skin. Through the headphones, soothing classical music was playing; she recognized it as a piece by Chopin – Nocturne Op.9 or something.

"You're horrible." She said simply, in which he replied with his goofy smile.


	23. Ugly

_Disclaimer – Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. _

Thanking everyone who reviewed, I'm sorry for the delayed update, I'm trying my best to update at least once a week but shit happens when exams fly in your face.

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

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**Chapter 23**

**Ugly**

The frivolous air of Italy, she could smell it already. She trailed behind Goldilocks (Dino), trying to stay as close to him as possible, meanwhile, Luciano followed begrudgingly with the luggage in his hands.

She stared admiringly at the Italian man's broad back – he'd taken his jacket off, love made things look a whole lot more detailed, she was noticing every movement, every blink, every sigh, every laugh, every sound, and every breath that Dino made – it scared her. Previously, this mafia boss was no more than your everyday, typical, good-looking man, but now she felt obsessed with him. It was frustrating for Elsa, none of these experiences were new to her, it all brought back detestable memories.

"Hey, I see everyone!" Dino suddenly cried, waving his arm at a crowd of men in black suits.

"Boss! Elsa!" They all boomed at once, the passersby shuffled away anxiously.

A sudden shade of pink emerged from the crowd and began running towards Dino. As it came closer, Elsa could make out the frilly, swaying dress, and who else would wear such a horrid piece of clothing? Elsa didn't know whether to stand in between them or take a step back as a precaution.

"DINO!" Yano called, her arms ready to wrap around the Italian.

Luciano, realizing the situation, dropped the bags on the ground abruptly and dove forward to shove Elsa in between the scene, and with a loud yelp she tumbled forward in front of Dino, but instead of blocking the embrace she lost her balance and fell face flat onto the ground. Yano tripped over Elsa and landed directly into Dino's arms, they held onto each another.

Damn this hurt in two ways, Elsa thought. Her nose was stinging with pain, she lifted herself up and held onto her nose, Luciano ran to her side and helped her up.

"For god's sake why'd you do that…?" Elsa groaned.

"Just shut up and look!" Luciano whirled her around. Yano and Dino – it was a literal image of Romeo and Juliet, but a little less cheesy. They were practically glued together, and if Elsa didn't know better they could have been grinding on each other – gross. Luciano nudged at her to do something about it, so she picked up one of her bags on the ground, walked towards the scene and rammed it against the stupid Italian's back. Immediately, he went limp and arched his back in agonizing pain.

"Elsa-chan ne! What was that for? Dino are you alright?" But before Yano could make another move, Elsa yanked on Dino's arm, pulling him closer, and she looked him in the eye.

"Dino, I'm tired, I'm suffering from jet lag, take me home." Elsa said.

"Y-You…didn't have to hit me…" Dino muttered.

"Yeah you didn't have to hit him!" Yano slipped her arm around his and stole him back.

This girl was feisty, annoyingly feisty, Elsa thought.

"Tch." Elsa spat, crossing her arms irately.

Romario came along and picked the bags off the ground, he greeted her with a gentle smile, "Madam, nice seeing you again."

Ah, Elsa was glad to see this man at the very least; it was the first good thing that had happened since returning to her home country. She let herself be led by him with Luciano trailing behind again; she arrived before several familiar, black, luxurious cars she had not seen for a long time. She missed this spoilt life – unfortunately she couldn't say the same for her hometown. Elsa dove in the back seat of one of the cars and snuggled into the cool leather while sighing contently.

Luciano poked his head through the window, "I told Romario to let Dino ride alone, so you can relax."

"Thank god…just looking at her cling onto him like that strains my chest." Elsa muttered, "Wait – she's not getting in _this _car is she?"

"Who do you think I am?" Luciano rolled his eyes, "Rest up, we've got a lot to do while Yano's around." And with that he jumped into the front seat

"You don't have to remind me."

**xxxx**

The journey was long. Elsa restlessly sat through most of the ride with her fist tightly balled around the engagement ring. She decided to abandon her plan of stowing it away with her other one, instead, gave it another chance as she did for Dino. She wondered if he even remembered she had it, the last time he had mentioned it was a while ago. She gazed out the window, watching the paddocks roll by. After a few more hours, she then began counting the cows grazing on the luscious green grass – this was how bored she was. Once they had driven into the more urbanized areas, Elsa's eyes lit up, and she stared in fascination with her nose pressed against the window as the boutiques and big brands skimmed passed her line of sight. _Sigh_, but she still had way too many untouched clothes Dino had bought for her, she wouldn't want to spend more of his money – although he had lots of it.

The car was parked in front of the urbane mansion she hardly recognized anymore. Luciano came around to open the door for her, the feeling of déjà vu struck her in the chest, it was almost like she was arriving for the first time again. There was a different air to the residence from when she first came, an unpleasant one.

Elsa rushed in without waiting for the others, she raced up the staircase, thumping her sneakers on the carpet at she did. She burst into her room, "I'm back!"

Elsa stopped in her tracks. _This _wasn't her room? Well, maybe it was but it certainly did not look or feel like it. The usual evoking smell of vintage furniture was absent, instead, a new sweet, fresh scent replaced it. It made her nose cringe – she didn't like it at all. The things she had left here were nowhere to be found, her bed sheets were no longer white but pink with flowery embroidery in white stitching, and the dressing table had been moved closer to the bedside with bottles of perfume, make up and a hair curler sitting atop.

_This isn't mine? _Elsa thought. She then burst into the bathroom, only to find a pink towel hung over the rack. It then struck her. With all this pink there was only one person that could be responsible.

"L-Luciano!" Elsa called nervously.

He had been standing at the door for quite some time now, he shook his head, "I've been meaning to tell you for a while now but…I thought it was better if you found out yourself."

Why did it have to be _her _room? Elsa groaned, she was getting very VERY frustrated at the shit that was being thrown at her since she stepped foot in her home country.

"Yano insisted on staying in this room, I tried to tell her it was yours but Dino told me to let it go."

Dino? DINO? Of all people it just had to be him that let that annoying thing have her way. Elsa was so tempted to trash the place, she fingered her engagement ring that was now back on her lets-tie-the-knot finger. She held it in palpably, her arms shaking.

"I'm guessing she wanted your room because it was closest to Dino's. She's sly I'll admit…" Luciano sighed.

Elsa began grinding her teeth furiously; her jaw was strained and moving back and forth in slow motions, "So where did they move me?"

"A few rooms down."

"What about _my _closet with _my _clothes…?"

"Ahh…well all the clothes were moved to the closet in your new room"

Thank god at least one thing went right since her return. Elsa stormed out the door angrily with Luciano trailing behind. To make matters worse, the perfect couple was walking the opposite direction towards her. How the shit did Yano get to Dino that fast? It was like she put some kind of tracking device on him, Elsa felt like scolding someone.

Dino put on a genuine smile, "Els, I was going to tell you earlier, but Yano's staying in your room temporarily."

"I can see that." She snapped, staring icily at him. He flinched at her response.

"Eto…I'm really sorry, It's just that I'm a really shy person and I'd like to be near Dino..." Yano clasped her hands together while modestly fiddling around, "…a-ano I'm really sorry! I feel really bad…"

_Well then why don't you give my room back if you feel so damn bad? _Elsa turned away irately.

"You'll get the room back after Yano leaves alright? It's not for too long."

_Yeah right. _With the way things were going right now, Elsa was at a disadvantage. She had to get her game up somehow, but it wasn't easy when she had nothing to offer. It was like playing a game of poker, she had the straight while Yano had the straight flush.

"Hey Elsa, I hope you don't mind but I kind of promised Yano I'd spend some time with her…"

"Wait what?" Elsa cocked an eyebrow. More bad news?

"You're probably tired from all that traveling, you should rest."

"But…" She looked at Luciano whom stood there speechless. He wasn't any help.

"I'll be back around six."

Elsa gaped soundlessly, what could she possibly say to stop him? She didn't want to sound _desperate_. Really – why was Dino's mentality telling him it was okay for him to go on hot dates with another woman while he was engaged? His head was whacked. Seriously, how did he survive the mafia world?

"Boss let me go with you." Luciano blurted.

Dino looked at Yano, she shook her head and Luciano's face fell. It was like she had absolute control over Dino now, everything he could and could not do depended on her decision. And what authority did Elsa have? – Nothing.

"Ne, I'd like to talk to Elsa before I go, could you wait for me at the door?" Yano fluttered her sweet, endearing eyes at him and he agreed. _Who the hell does she think she is? His wife? _Elsa tensed her fists.

"Alright, I'll see you later Elsa." And before he left, he looked at her one last time, "And PLEASE don't do anything stupid."

_Fuck you. _Elsa cringed, she felt so compelled to yell at him. She gave him a small wave and both Dino and Luciano left the corridor, Luciano glanced back worriedly once more before leaving.

Both girls were now standing there, glaring at each other with mutual detest. The silence went on for a few more minutes before Yano broke it with an acute smile. Her hands were clasped together modestly, she turned around with her back to Elsa. She broke into humming giggles which then weaved into the devilish chuckles. She whirled around to face Elsa again. She strode towards her quickly. Yano grabbed Elsa's arm and dragged her to a room, pushing and shoving her in. Yano closed the door gently behind them.

"What the hell are you doing?" Elsa barked, taking several steps back.

"I know you did it deliberately!" Yano yelled.

Elsa could only stare in shock. Yano was raising her voice at her? This was new. She always thought she was someone that preferred to pull strings rather than stand forward.

"Don't give me that idiotic look, you knew I was coming here you _knew!_" Yano pointed at her rudely, her voice with high accusation.

Elsa snapped out of it, her eyes furrowed. "Wait, how was I supposed to know you were going fly all the way to Italy to flash your rack at my fiancé?"

"What? Are you calling me loose?" Yano hissed at her.

Elsa rolled her eyes, "What do you think?" She wondered what ever happened to the _eto _and _ano _remarks, "Stop toying with him."

"You're one to talk, you don't even like him!"

Elsa looked away, "N-Neither do you…"

"All that matters is that he likes me, that he is infatuated with _me_!" Yano pointed her thumb at her chest, "He belongs to _me_."

"He's not a toy!" Elsa snapped.

"You're as guilty as me! Marrying him for his money? You're a perfect example of a mercenary!"

"I'm not…" Elsa paused. She wasn't a mercenary, she wasn't.

"But I'd be disgusted if I were on the same level as you…" Yano smirked, "And that's why I was blessed with these good looks. Compared to me, you're a plain dunce."

Elsa tensed from head to toe. A plain dunce – that's right – she'd been told that her entire life. From the moment she was born until now, people (assholes) had reminded her day after day she was an inferior being because she was plain, unlike their great selves. No appeal, nothing, too plain for a good life, not good enough for success. Because of these people she felt useless, useless as a broken mannequin. Many times she'd wanted to lash out at these people.

Yano broke her angry trance, "Just break it off with him and give it up, he's already fallen head over heels for me."

_Shut up. _Elsa inhaled.

"And all it took was a simple _I love you._" Yano chuckled wickedly. She flicked her hair back and twirled around and began walking towards the door, "I suggest you pack your bags and go home, Dino has no use for you now."

"Shut up." Elsa spat angrily.

Yano stopped in her tracks, she shifted her eyes to the side with a crafty smirk. Was it true? Could it be? She asked herself. "Oh?"

Elsa glared at her threateningly.

"My my…I see…so you _do _have feelings for him."

Elsa didn't say anything.

Yano chortled out loud, bending over to catch her breath. She glanced over at Elsa and shook her head, as if she felt sorry for the poor girl. She opened the door with a wide smile painted across her cherry lips, "Save yourself from the disappointment…and heartbreak in your case."

"I'm not going to give up…" Elsa growled. _I'm not. _

"Well good luck to you then. And please, take off that stupid ring, it makes me pity you even more." Yano flicked her hair one last time before leaving Elsa fuming in the room by herself.


	24. Reasons

_Disclaimer – Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. I do not own Jimmy Choo either. _

**Note:** Unfortunately I won't be able to update once a week because my major exams have started, but after them I'll probably carry on that promise. To make up for the delayed next chapter, I've made this chapter extra long.

See you in a few weeks!

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

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**Chapter 24**

**Reasons**

For a whole week, day after day, Elsa would spend her time lying on her bed repeating those words. It pissed her off, it infuriated her to the point of wanting to kick something. She couldn't believe Yano even had the guts to say such vulgar, cusses.

"_It makes me pity you even more"_

"…_pity you even more"_

"…_pity you…"_

"…_pity…"_

PITY? Elsa was **PITIED**? She wasn't even considered competition! Nothing else could insult her more than her arch enemy _pitying _her insignificant self. She rolled over to the side and crossed her arms with a disgruntled sigh. The air was much warmer here in Italy, but it was also much lonelier. She thought about her hometown and wondered if anybody noticed she was gone, it was unlikely, but it would have been nice. Back on the farm, whenever she felt the need to let out a rant she'd talk to the chickens while they were laying eggs in their pens. It was a petty way of passing the time and keeping herself sane, and in Elsa's case it was also a way of keeping herself socially satisfied. Her boss assumed she was just a little nutty in the head so he left her alone. Elsa didn't mind that, she was hired because of the extreme lack of employees, besides, she was good at her job, it took her about a month to master the art of distinguishing chicken genitals but she managed it well. She was proud of it—oh who was she kidding? It was a stupid job for stupid people that failed in life.

There was a gentle knock on the door.

"Yeah, open it." She called, not budging from her position.

The door creaked open. The sweet scent of Yano whiffed passed Elsa's nose and she shuddered at it. She groaned, "What do you want now?"

She felt the weight of her bed shift to the other side. Had Yano come to annoy the crap out of her again? It was bad enough she had completely stolen Dino for the entire week, Elsa only ever had the chance to see him during breakfast, lunch and dinner, and maybe another hour or less while Yano was taking a shower. Obviously, Elsa was losing by a mile, she sighed overtly. A hand suddenly cupped over her mouth. Elsa's eyes widened and immediately she shot up and kicked the perpetrator in the abdomen, she fell off the bed as a result.

"Yo…calm down it's just me!" Dino cried, raising his hands defensively.

"What are you a molester?" Elsa spat, her heart thumping wildly – for two reasons.

"No, would a molester bring you _this_?" Dino held out a dress. It dazzled Elsa off her feet, it wasn't any ordinary dress (of course) it was a peach colored, A-Line evening gown. Not only that, it was from the spring and summer line of Elsa's all favorite brand…good old Galvin Blind.

"G-G-Galvin Blind…" Elsa stuttered. Dino had ditched Yano who-knows-where specially to give her _this_?

"I got you a pair of Jimmy Choos too"

She loved Dino, she absolutely loved him – for many reasons.

"You…"

Dino chuckled at her reaction, "Aren't you going to ask what the occasion is?"

She couldn't care less what the occasion was. All that mattered was that she got herself a Galvin Blind dress and a pair of Jimmy Choos. Wait…then again maybe Yano picked them out. She grimaced.

Dino saw the scrutiny in her expression, "Relax, I chose them."

That was relieving.

"Elsa I want you to wear it tonight at the Corvino family's coronation" Dino said with a big smile.

Elsa knew there was a catch to it, there was no way Dino thought about her that much to be able to buy her gifts without her asking. Well – he _did _mention there was an occasion, and heck she had always wanted to see a mafia ceremony for new leaders. And the dress, she loved it, she absolutely ADORED it BUT…

"Refund it." Elsa said, feeling a pang of regret.

Dino was taken aback, "What? You don't like it?"

"No I really like it but…I can't wear it…" She grimaced.

"Why not?"

"It's…too much for me, you should ask Yano to go in my place." She looked away uncomfortably.

Dino sighed, "I'm meant to bring my fiancée, not a friend."

"W-Well then I'll wear something else!"

"I need you to look your best for this occasion, it's a coronation not a party, what's wrong with dresses? You wore one at the engagement—"

"Don't remind me." Elsa shied away, their lack of communication this past week had made things a lot more awkward between them. The last time she wore a proper dress she was made fun of, and that was at that stupid announcement gathering. She stuttered, "I won't look good in it."

Dino was surprised, "Elsa it'll look great on you!"

"S-Shut up it won't."

"It will, you'll look stunning. And I promise if you wear this tonight I'll take you out for lunch tomorrow."

"Who'd wanna—"Elsa thought for a moment. This was a great opportunity for her to score some points with him, and she'd also get to spend a night without Yano around to ruin it. Dino gave her a pleading look, and immediately she gave in, "Alright, but if it looks stupid…I'm wearing pants."

Dino agreed without hesitation, it took him a good two days to convince Yano she couldn't tag along, so all that hard work _had to _pay off in the end. The mafia work was slipping a little, he was constantly getting distracted by his personal life – being caught between the girl he had a thing for, and the girl he treated like a sister and was supposed to marry.

"I'll ask Luciano to help you around five so be ready by then. I'll be back around the same time."

"Where are you going _now_?" Elsa held back the strain in her voice.

Dino sighed, "I promised Yano I'd take her sightseeing on a cruise"

Elsa swallowed back the lump that got her hopes down, "Oh." Sightseeing on a cruise, that sounded nice…awfully nice. She guessed she wasn't invited again – well – Yano most likely forbade it, and knowing the chain she had around Dino's neck, there would be no objections.

Dino got off the bed and walked over to her. He tousled her hair and smiled. "I'm sorry, next time it'll be your turn."

"You'll owe me for today anyway" Elsa mumbled, trying not to look sullen.

He left her hair in a rumpled mess and left.

The dress lay across the bed. Elsa glomped it ecstatically and held it in her arms, she pressed her nose against the silk fabric and took a breath in, much like the reaction she had with her first gift from Dino. There were still traces of his faint cologne…and his personal scent. She was acting childish and she knew it, but man had it been a while.

The door swung open and Elsa was greeted by an ecstatic, buff man with a big bag cradled in his arms. His eyes bulged out like golf balls, "ELSA I HEARD YOU FINALLY DECIDED TO STOP TRYING TO DRESS LIKE A MAN!"

Elsa was mortified, did she really look that much like a tomboy? She had her feminine side too – maybe. "Luciano I never once in my life wanted to look masculine, and you're supposed to come around five not twelve."

"Oh." Luciano bit his tongue, he shuffled sideways to a corner, "Well…let me rephrase that…I heard you agreed to dress more…well…elegantly?" He ignored the second half of her statement.

"That's a little better. And yes, you could say that…" Elsa mumbled.

"You're not going to waste this opportunity are you? You do realize this is your chance to get back at Ya—cheh! I can't even say her name anymore…" Luciano shuddered.

"I know that."

"Well then do you want to go all out or not?"

Elsa let out an exasperated huff, "What difference would it make?"

"Quit being so pessimistic, didn't you promise me you'd do everything in your power to stop those two from getting together?" He placed his hands on his hips.

"When did I say that?"

"Just then." He glared threateningly at her; Elsa succumbed to it and shut up. "Aren't you going to make any effort in this?"

"I've been trying…kind of…actually I just don't know what to do anymore. She's winning at everything right now, and I can tell Dino's falling for it all!" Elsa squawked.

Luciano went over to her side and sighed, "But you don't realize something Elsa, you have something she doesn't have."

"My personality?"

"Well no…not quite what I was thinking. I was about to say your passion for the mafia."

"How is that an advantage?" Elsa cocked an eyebrow.

"You understand our world better than her, what she doesn't realize is the darker side to all this. We are not a world of leniency or tolerance."

Really, Elsa was no different, but she couldn't admit that, "True."

"So…?"

Elsa contemplated for a moment. What harm could it do? It was worth a try, and if didn't impress Dino then, well, at least she knew never to try something like this again. She nodded at Luciano.

"I've been waiting for this day for so long!" He yelped joyfully, he grabbed her shoulders and looked at her, "Well then what are we waiting for? We need to find the right colors to match your face and the occasion, but before that – you need a facial! oh I still have some moisturizing masks left, one thing I'm worried about is the hair…damn why must you have such stubborn hair that's so hard to work with? Ah! Accessories! You can borrow some of mine…can I do your nails too? I know the perfect design for your nails…your eyebrows are a bit out of shape maybe I should pluck them for you…remember to take off your studs, I've got a pair of earrings that will blow your mind and hey do you have any perfume?"

"Well…no…" Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, Elsa thought.

"That's alright you can borrow one of mine! Alright Elsa are you ready for this?" Luciano cheered.

"No" And with that, her life as Luciano's personal dress-up doll began – well, at least this was how Elsa perceived it.

**xxxx**

A makeover – they called it. It was exactly what Luciano had given her, they spent hours on the make up, the hair and the accessories. These materialistic things were placed onto her all at once and she felt different. She felt…fresh. It wasn't like the time at new years where her appearance had changed completely, instead, what Luciano had done was enhance whatever she had and molded it into softer, more defined features. It was a mask, but a natural one, and what helped boost her new appearance was the caramel, soft and supple wig with gentle locks spilling across her shoulders. Luciano had given up on taming Elsa's hair, he had tried hairspray, wax, hair gel, moose and even hard clay, but nothing could keep Elsa's stubborn hair in shape, thus he took the courtesy to drive down town to the nearest wig store and ask for the most goddamn beautiful wig the shopkeeper had. It made her look feminine, softer, charismatic, but not Elsa – like a completely different person. With that, a transformation had taken place, and when Elsa had put on the dress, the shoes and the accessories…a miracle had happened right before Luciano's eyes. He coughed as an awkward response.

"W-What?" Elsa flushed, she twiddled her fingers nervously.

"I believe I have the potential to be a make up artist…" Luciano declared.

Her expression contorted, "Do I look _that _bad?"

"What—no Elsa you look stunning!"

She was baffled. It wasn't everyday somebody complimented her, she let a unpretentious smile slip from her lips. Did she really look…attractive?

"You're unrecognizable! It's like you're a completely different person. " Luciano beamed.

_Funny. _Elsa thought to herself sarcastically. They both had been so awed by the change, they hadn't even realized Dino's soundless entrance. He looked surprised at the girl that stood before him, "Hey, are you ready?"

Elsa and Luciano both jumped at once. That was unexpected. Elsa wasn't even prepared yet, her face was still red and her chest felt cold and strange because of the low-cut front. Looking at him, his favorable appearance seemed to own any suit of any brand he wore, it made him look desirable – in many ways. Elsa was overwhelmed by it.

"Elsa you look…" Dino started.

_Here is comes…_Elsa anticipated, as did Luciano as he leaned in closer.

"…Great! I told you it would look good!" Dino finished.

Both their hopes had plummeted to the earth's core. Was that all he had to say to her? Not even a gape or a gasp? But that she looked _great_? What about her hair? She was wearing a wig for gods sake did he really not realize that? All these questions passed through Luciano's head and slithered around Elsa's.

"Alright we're going to be late, let's go!" Dino's smile did not waver.

Yano stood waiting with her bogus smile at the front entrance. She approached Elsa with the kindest intentions, "You look absolutely gorgeous Elsa ne? eto…I wish I could come with you both."

"I'd rather you not." Elsa said blatantly.

"Elsa what are you saying?" Dino scolded.

Both Luciano and Romario couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle, but as Dino shifted his eyes towards them they shut up. He sighed and said his all-too-intimate goodbye to Yano, she responded with an Oscar winning response.

"Eto…Dino please be careful, anything could go wrong at that coronation…" Her melodramatic tone made Elsa shudder, "…isn't there any way I could come with you?"

_Shouldn't you be asking him to stay? _Elsa rolled her eyes.

"Sorry, but I'll be back before midnight." Dino's voice was gentle and mesmerizing to the point Elsa had to shudder _again_.

They parted, and Dino led Elsa out to the carpool, on the way, Elsa could have sworn she heard the sound of shredding cloth. She let it slip her mind and clumsily tripped over her Jimmy Choos and landed flat into the back seat. Embarrassed, she sat herself upright again. Dino waved one last time to Yano and sat beside Elsa, and as they drove off, Elsa looked back, and she could have sworn Yano was smirking wickedly at her.

**xxxx**

Upon arrival, Elsa received a big slap in the face by the grandness of the venue. It was three times bigger than the Cavallone residence. How much money did the mafia have to throw away? Elsa thought. Nervously, she stuck beside Dino and held onto his arm as they entered the building. They were greeted by caters and was asked to remove any weapons they had in hand, and as they walked on, Elsa felt the hawk-like eyes flicker towards them with astonishment. The feeling was thrice as strong as the engagement party, ultimately because there were ten times more people present. Here, the mafia world had truly become a reality; the level of blood-thirst was higher than ever. Elsa had an adrenaline rush, nothing in her life had been more exciting than this, her admiration for the mafia had returned. She broke away from Dino and began walking towards a group of men with cigars in between there fingers. She wondered what they were discussing, the amount of casinos they had perhaps? She stopped at a distance and observed intriguingly before Dino came along and tugged her back.

"Elsa it's not safe to be walking around on your own here" He said.

She looked at him through half-lidded eyes, "Why not?"

"Every person here could be targeting you."

Elsa cocked an eyebrow, "Me? Targeted? That's a thrill."

"No, it's dangerous." He frowned.

"I was kidding, where are the beverages?" She looked around.

"I'll get them, you stay put." Dino left her standing in the middle of the floor. Elsa watched as he took two glasses of champagne from a waiter, and as he began to walk back, Elsa noticed a familiar peach tinted dress behind him. She squinted and took a few steps forward for a closer look.

_Is it just me or is she…? _Elsa froze, it was the worse possible thing that could have happened. Someone was wearing the EXACT SAME dress as her! The halter top, the V-shape, the A-line and mullet style, the belt at the waist – everything matched. The woman turned around to face Elsa.

_Oh god and she's smot. _Elsa cringed, quickly and swiftly as Dino arrived, she dragged him to the other side of the room. He looked at her with amusement.

"Uh…I thought I saw something interesting over here…" She lied unsuccessfully. Elsa felt a tickling brush against her calf, she peered down at her dress and realized there was a long thread dangling down, she turned around and patted the back, only to feel an open, wide slash on the dress. Her eyes widened in shock and Dino asked her what was wrong.

"Could you get Luciano here _now_?"

"What's wrong?" He asked again.

"He...has something of mine I forgot to take back." Elsa said halfheartedly. Dino didn't question her any further, he pulled out his cell phone and told Luciano the details. Elsa found it strange he wasn't interrogating her, it was like he didn't give a damn anymore.

"Oh, there he is"

Luciano emerged from within a crowd, "I'm here…" He huffed tiredly as if he'd rushed across the entire floor. Elsa nodded her head at him as a signal, and immediately he cried to Dino, "Boss! Romario is looking for you!"

"What's happened?" Dino asked tersely.

"I'm not sure but he's waiting for you at the lounge area with Ivan" Luciano lied.

"Look after Elsa, I'll be back." Dino ordered, before quickly walking off into the crowd.

Luciano dialed his cellphone, "Romario, do me a favor and if the Boss finds you tell him you thought you saw someone targeting the Corvino but it was a false alarm." He said in a quick flurry and hung up.

"My dress…it's been cut at the back...it was Yano." Elsa said.

"That sly bitch." Luciano spat.

"Also, there's a woman wearing the exact same dress as me…"

"Is she..?"

"Yes. She's drop-dead-gorgeous." Elsa sighed.

"Elsa why are you so unlucky?" Luciano asked.

She groaned, "I don't know…can you do something about it?"

"Alright, maybe you're not _that _unlucky. I bring my sewing kit everywhere with me."

Elsa sighed with relief.

Luciano mended the cut flawlessly and within minutes (what would she do without him), and before long, Dino had come back with new glasses of champagne in his hands.

"I'll take care of the girl." Luciano mumbled before leaving the two alone. Elsa wondered what he meant by that. She took her glass from Dino's hand and sipped it.

"So what did Romario want?" She asked.

"A false alarm." Dino replied with a sculptured smile – Elsa didn't like that, he seemed so fed up with her. And he hadn't complimented her transformation even once, it made her annoyed, all that hard work for _nothing_. The tone of his voice was rather distant as well, it was as if he didn't even care whether she was with him or not. Oh, right, because he really _didn't_ care unless it was Yano, if Yano were here he'd be strutting around the place proudly because she was just so naturally, selectively attractive, and she didn't need any beauty products or big brand clothing to look BEAU-TI-FUL. Elsa, on the other hand, had to go through hours of testing to end with this simple look that made her look just above average. She vented in her mind, and it only made her enjoy the night less and less.

_I try and I try, I tolerate and I persevere. WHAT THE HELL MAN. _She took another sip of the champagne, "Dino…"

He looked distantly into space.

"Dino." She tried again.

He took a sip of his champagne.

She kicked him with her Jimmy Choos, "Dino!"

He recoiled back, "Ouch Elsa what was that for?"

"Goddammit Dino why won't you pay any attention to me!"

He sighed, "What now?"

"You're thinking about her aren't you?"

"Who?"

"Yano, that's who!"

"I'm not thinking about her?"

Elsa lowered her voice a little, realizing the eyes beginning to shift towards them, "Admit it Dino, you like her don't you? You've become her pet!"

"Elsa, this isn't the time or place to be discussing this, we're in the middle of something."

"ADMIT IT!" She yelled, loud enough for a portion of the room to swing their gazes.

Dino tried to calm her down, "E-Elsa alright I do like her…why are you so angry?"

Elsa sighed inwardly, how many times had she been this irritated at Dino since she developed feelings for him?

"Ugh!" She uttered, disgruntled, "Dino, tell me this: when a guy is engaged to a girl and that guy decides to fall for someone else, what is that called?"

"Cheating…" He replied, still checking to see if anyone was eavesdropping.

"And how do you think that girl feels?" Elsa crossed her arms.

"Hurt."

"So then why in Vongola's name do you think I've been pissed off lately?"

Dino hesitated, finally realizing the seriousness of the situation, then uttered, "But Elsa…you and I…we're not…"

"Then why haven't you dumped me at my hometown?" She spat.

"I don't know…because you've become an important person to me I guess…?"

Elsa hissed, "A little sister? Dino…I went in that stupid audition to be _engaged _not adopted."

"What are you trying to say…?" He was as dense as a rock.

Elsa's frustration could build no more; she let herself slip, "That I'm jealous of your relationship with Yano."

Dino's eyes widened in realization – finally, he dropped his glass and it shattered across the floor. The waiters rushed to his side and began cleaning up the glass pieces, each and every shard – a representation of the shock. The couple had the entire floor's attention now, here and there the people whispered, rumors flew from one place to another. It was unexpected, of all days it just had to happen today. After that, Dino left her standing there dejectedly, pushing his way through the crowd.

She guessed he wasn't going to keep his lunch promise.


	25. Dramatic Revalations and Changes

_Disclaimer – Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. _

Freedom! I'm FREE! Thank you for your patience everyone.

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

_

* * *

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**Chapter 25**

**Dramatic Revelations and Changes**

For the rest of the night, Elsa did not see Dino – well more like he avoided her, she assumed. Although, that was not the reason for her dejected mood and sulking, and every person that was standing near her knew that – except for Luciano.

"That's it. I'm through, no more."

"What are you on about now?" Luciano asked, staring blankly into space.

"Not once did he compliment me. All this effort was a waste."

"Don't be stupid Elsa, he's just a slight airhead that's all." Luciano looked to his left, keeping guard.

Elsa sighed; she twiddled a strand of her wig and then tucked it behind her ear. What would she do now? She'd no idea where Dino was and her heart could barely take on the weight of all this - anymore. She tugged onto Luciano's shirt and bit her lip, her whole body felt like collapsing to the floor, she felt tired and exhausted. Luciano felt the weight of the pull grow heavier. He finally turned his gaze to Elsa and saw that she had completely slumped to the ground like a rock.

"What on earth is the matter with you?" Luciano lifted her back up with ease; she let herself lean against him.

"I'm sulking." Her voice droned.

Luciano sighed, "Dino probably just forgot to tell you, quit whining about it and stand up, you're heavy."

Elsa didn't respond. She let her weight drag onto him; she stared soullessly at the people around her. She very much wanted to go home, even though she hated home, at least she could escape reality again on the chicken farm, at least she had something to talk to - not someone - but something. She should have never entered this life in the first place, she should have struggled on with her peaceful, lifeless days, and the mafia world should have stayed out of her reach. She should have...she should have...

"Luciano..." She muttered monotonously.

"What?" He'd given up on making her stand.

Her eyebrows knitted together, "Am I a failure of a female?"

Luciano took her by the shoulders and began shaking her, "What has gotten into you?"

She muttered bashfully, "I confessed."

"Well good for you—wait you WHAT?" Luciano barked. Elsa cringed as his spit rained across her face, she grabbed a napkin from a nearby table and wiped it off unpleasantly. Luciano's let go of her and clapped his hands animatedly together, "What did he say?"

"He…he didn't say anything. He left me standing there." The anger welled up inside her as she said those words, she watched the beautiful woman in their effortless outfits, stepping around the floor gracefully and without a worry in the world. She hated them, they had no obligation to impress because they naturally did already. Elsa had been put in a dress, caked with make-up and forced to put on an irritatingly itchy wig and yet she _still _didn't shine as brightly as they did. Fuck this world, seriously. Why was life so unfair?

"T-That doesn't mean he rejected you! Maybe he was just shy or scared – I mean – there are a lot of people here!" Luciano took a deep breathe in, "A-And besides, he's probably looking for you right now so I think you should really go find him yourself—"

_Well I'll be darned. Then explain to me why his reaction was THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE when Yano confession to him…HUH? I thought so. _Elsa let a vein pop.

"I saw the look on his face!" She suddenly yelled, and Luciano jumped. Her face twisted into a scowl, "He was shocked – no – disgusted, he was looking at me with _disgust_, he's grossed out by it!"

"No he—"

"He dropped his glass, he left me STANDING there. If he were a good man none of that would have happened, I'm not up to his standards Luciano I'm over it…he's just like the rest of them!" She hissed, her fists were balled as tightly as they could, she tore off her wig and let her copper brown hair fly out. She threw it on the floor and unhooked her loop sparkling (almost blinding) earrings, she wiped her arm across her lips, smearing the lipstick off.

"Hey what are you doing?"

"I'm not made for this, take me back to the mansion, I'm leaving." Elsa demanded, striding through the crowd of stares and whispers. Her heels clanked against the marble floor as loud as she could – but she couldn't care less, she was far too angry with that bonehead to be giving a damn. Her heart pounded wildly as she passed through the doors where the guards looked strangely at her. Before she could avert the red sports car and make towards the pitch black vehicle where Dino's men were smoking around, she heard the rough clank of the door swing open behind her.

"Elsa wait I—I'm sorry for leaving you there!" Dino's voice rang behind her.

She jolted around and pointed a finger at him, "You should be!"

"I can explain, I didn't mean to—"

"Whatever!" _You were probably too busy worrying about how I'll come along and ruin your relationship with Yano anyway. _

"We can talk this out just let me—"

She jerked her finger up to silence him, "No! You had a plenty of chances to talk to me about everything these past few weeks but you chose to spend quality time with that fake…THING because I'm apparently not good enough for you! Right? Yes? Of course, because looks are EVERYTHING!"

"I've never thought of you like that, I just didn't realize but we can still be—"

"No!"

One of the guards tapped Dino on the shoulder and asked curiously, "Cavallone tenth, is that your fiancée? Is something the matter?"

Well what do you think?

"Ah yes sorry she's—"

How rude. "I'm his goddamn sister!" Elsa spat.

Dino quickly strode towards her and held onto her arm, "Let me finish Elsa, I know I was an idiot for leaving you there…it was wrong of me and I regret the whole thing."

"You really expect me to forgive you—"

"And I'm sorry I didn't realize how stupid I was for believing you would be happy if you knew I thought of you as a little sister" He said all in one breath.

Elsa gritted her teeth. "Ugh! Can you not look at me in any other way? I'm human! I have feelings! I seek attention!"

Dino looked wounded, it made Elsa guilty but she couldn't live with another unrequited love, "Cut to the chase, you're in love with Yano Watase not Elsa de Luca am I right?"

"Els I…"

"Answer the question!" She almost screamed.

"Yes…but I—"

"Alright, I get it, it was impossible from the beginning anyway, what the hell was I thinking? _finito! Fine della storia! __Non più! Arrivederci e buona fortuna con Yano!_" Elsa smirked, seating herself in the car and gesturing for one of Dino's men to drive. With hesitation, the car sped off into the distance leaving Dino standing their feeling ashamed and responsible for everything. She chortled out loud as the car furthered away from the whole thing. Ah, she thought, she never got the chance to witness the actual coronation – oh well, she had better things to do anyway. That reminded her, once she got back to the mansion she would need to start packing her things before Dino came back, avoiding Yano was going to be difficult, but once she learned the truth she'll have her own personal party. She'll have to give the ring back too, and all the clothes he bought for her, it was time to let go of her customized Galvin Blind suit, she'll have to leave a note for Luciano as well, and Romario. She'll have to…

She stopped laughing; her driver (one of Dino's men) had not stopped looking at her the whole time.

"Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" She cried with frustration and buried her face in her hands. She stamped her feet on the ground furiously.

The driver wondered what was wrong, but was afraid to ask.

_Who am I kidding, I'm not going to get over him_! _Why the hell did I say all that? Ugh you stupid girl! _Elsa knocked her head against the window and began to panic, to think she'd given up so easily despite Dino being the nicest out of all the guys she had ever loved! Maybe things could have gone well after that confession slipped out? And his apology was so sincere. _GAH! I BLEW IT!_

**xxxx**

Elsa took a long, heated bath. In fact, it went on for longer than three hours and her skin was beginning to wrinkle like a prune. She managed to avoid Yano on the way back, whom was out sponging off Dino's money with Romario. The men who had stayed back threw questions at her the minute she stepped into the house but she simply gave them the 'I'm tired, maybe tomorrow' reply. She never found out the name of her driver, but she figured he'd be letting the whole household know of her stupidity. Elsa sunk deeper into the bathtub, the water had gone cold. Yano was probably back already, and in an hour or less Dino would be too. Dammit…she was too afraid to get out. But turning into a prune wasn't any good, she mustered up all the courage she had and stepped out of the bath.

"Elsa" Dino spoke through the door.

_JINKERS WHAT IS HE SUPERMAN? _She slipped back into the tub, the cool water splashed out violently.

"Are you in there?" He tried again.

_Well duh I'm in here, it's so normal of you to stand outside the bathroom while a girl is taking a bath? _She really wasn't mentally prepared for this. Her heart pounded elatedly, was he going to change his mind and confess his feelings for her? That was highly unlikely.

"This has been…" He sighed, Elsa knew he was leaning against the door, "…a very tiring day."

_If you're not here to make things better then shoo…_was what Elsa wanted to say out loud, desperately.

"Everything that I said before, can you forget it all? It was all crap I made on the spur of the moment."

Elsa brought her knees to her chest nervously; this was all too dramatic for her, she couldn't keep up. One minute they were arguing (well she was) and now they were reconciling? All this was because she'd let herself slip and confess at the worst time possible. Their whole relationship was in turmoil.

"I'm sorry for everything." Dino said simply, his sincere voice made her blush even through a wooden door. She ducked her head shyly. "But you're right, I do love Yano, so there really is no way we can continue with the way we are right now."

Elsa thought this was all over, did he have to repeat something she already knew? And she certainly did _not _want to hear that woman's name again. Hell he'll be happy when she packs up and leaves—

"I still want you to stay here, you lighten this place up, and I've never seen Luciano this happy before…"

No way, Elsa thought, she wasn't going to stay and let herself deteriorate into a lump of burnt soot. She stepped out of the tub and pulled the plug, she watched as a whirlpool formed, draining the water, just like Dino was draining her—yeah let's not go there.

"Elsa, be part of the Cavallone family." He said.

"What?" She let herself slip. _Oh shit._

"I want you to be part of my family, if you're willing to."

YES. YES OF COURSE SIGN ME UP! She wanted to scream. If she couldn't find love then a life of crime and violence was definitely a way to go—

Really she just wanted to stay by his side. Sigh.

"But if it's too difficult for you because of me then I understand…" Dino finished.

Elsa slammed her fists against the door eagerly, "NO! I'll do it! Train me, throw me into a pool of sharks or whatever, I'll join."

"Are you sure…won't it be difficult…?"

"I'll get over you it's easy! And I promise I won't get in the way between you and Yano!" She squawked, tempted to open the door (while she was butt naked) and fall onto her knees while begging to join the dark side of his life.

"Sorry" He said again.

"If you really feel bad about rejecting me that much, then you can make up for it by letting me join!"

Dino knew she was lying, no matter how air-headed he was he knew that letting somebody go was not an easy thing, but if it made her happy then…

Dino said finally after a long pause, "Alright."

_What crazy shit have I gotten myself into this time? _Elsa thought. She wondered if she had made the right decision. Well, at least she knew for sure this night was over and done with, and whatever she and Dino had before was gone, this time things were starting new, "I'll try my hardest Dino—no—Boss!"

"You don't have to call me…"

"Yes I do, if things are going to change from now on…yes I do!"

Dino sighed, "If that's how you'd like it."

Yes it was, it was exactly how she wanted it. She heard frantic footsteps and a sudden gasp of air. She recognized that sweet, enduring voice as Yano Watase's.

"Eto…is everything between you and Elsa-chan alright now?" Elsa could hear her panting on the other side.

"I'll tell you about it tomorrow, you should rest." Dino said.

"I'm not going anywhere unless you're with me"

Elsa was very much jealous to the point of wanting to grab the girl by the hair and throwing her in a toilet bowl then flushing it until she drowned or repented, but she reminded herself she had promised Dino that she would try and lose her feelings for him. She thought of everything that had happened up until now. Tonight Elsa had confessed, tonight Elsa was rejected, tonight Elsa yelled at this handsome Italian man, tonight she ran away from a coronation celebration and tonight she changed from being Dino's bride-to-be to being Dino's hench-woman. She left out one important detail from her recount:

Tonight she told a **white** lie, that she would forget about Dino.

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_Finito – _Finished

_Fine della storia – _End of story

_Non __più – _No more

_Arrivederci e buona fortuna con Yano! – _Goodbye and good luck with Yano!


	26. Un nuovo inizio

_Disclaimer – Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. _

Yeah I know what you're all going to say: _**NOW**_ you update?

I'm sorry guys. (hits self) forgiveness is a virtue? …I guess not. By the way, why on earth do some of you assume Elsa will end up with Luciano? Seriously? Luciano? Well since you guys mentioned it, I'll be writing that down. HAH.

TIME TO SLEEP.

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

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**Chapter 26**

**Un nuovo inizio**

**(A New Beginning)**

"Are you going to do it or not?"

"I won't—"

Rip.

_It's just a small tear, it's still good!_

"NO DON'T—"

Rip.

_It's just a big tear, it's still good!_

"Is that a yes?"

She wanted to shriek.

"No? Okay."

RIIIIIIIIIIIP.

"OH GOD NO WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" Elsa squawked.

Luciano's devilish smirk fell upon her. She was devastated, how could a he be so cruel and unforgiving?

He threw the tatty, holed shirt to the floor and began stomping on it repeatedly. Elsa cringed as he did, she felt like screaming at him (she wouldn't dare). Luciano gave her one last inquiring look, but her expression didn't waver, she wasn't going to do it, her pride was much more important.

"Then I guess you won't be needing these either." Luciano unraveled a pair of scrunched up, creased jeans from her suitcase and pulled out a pair of sharp, gleaming scissors, smirking at her. As his fingers coiled around the handle and pushed apart, the quick _shing _of the blades splitting crawled into her ears. She fell to the ground and flailed her arms up.

"NO LUCIANO NO THOSE PLEASE OH GOD NO THOSE ARE MY FAVORITE-"

Snip. Snip. SNIP.

"MERCY MERCY!"

SNIP. RIP. SNIP. TEAR.

She groaned at the sounds and buried her face in her hands. She cried out to him angrily, "I can't do it no matter what! Please stop killing my clothes!"

Luciano clicked his tongue without lowering the scissors. He knelt down in front of her and mockingly patted her on the head. She growled under her breathe.

"Elsa, your pride is strong, but because of your pride..." Luciano tooth a deep breath and slid the scissors across the floor, flinging them away. They collided against the wall with a _clang_. He held the pair of jeans in front of her very eyes and solemnly looked at her through the gap, "To these poor, helpless pair of jeans that were never fully used and never served their purpose…rest in peace."

"NO!" Elsa cried, she shifted her legs into a crouch and launched herself to leap up and snatch them away.

He ripped them in half with his bare hands. Elsa's arms drooped to the ground helplessly and began sulking.

"This is what you get for betraying me…you said you wouldn't let Yano get to him and now…"

"Don't bring it up." Elsa muttered, things were going well because of it. She thought about it for a week and didn't tell a soul she had become one of Dino's lackeys. In the end, she came to the conclusion that it wouldn't have work out if she kept trying to pursue Dino's affection. It was also the last time she'd pursue anyone's affection. Big deal, she tried not to dwell on it, why cry over love when you're finally able to join the mafia? As simple as that, yes, as simple as that.

Elsa scooped up the scraps from the floor and dumped them in the bin. Luciano was dumbfounded; the girl had lost her mind. "You're serious Elsa? You've given up?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "No point."

Luciano groaned, he crossed his arms at her, "You're going to regret this Elsa"

Regret joining in the fray? He obviously didn't know her too well.

"No I'm serious Elsa, you're not cut out for the mafia no matter how much you admire us. In the end you're going to wish you were never part of it."

_Give me a break. I'm not cut out for ANYTHING, and I know MORE than enough about the mafia thank you. _Elsa thought. She did not want to live out the rest of her life on a chicken farm, let her swim in her moment of glory, even if it wouldn't last long. She slid into the arms of her new suit. Dino had bought it for her (yes again) and said that it was customized especially for combat, and made from durable and flexible material, and that she would need it from now on. The thought of what he meant excited her, and she desperately wanted to start her job right away, but before that she had a formal meeting with Dino himself to verify her admittance – apparently.

Luciano sat begrudgingly on a stool, muttering incoherently about his life being ruined while Elsa prepared herself. He was her escort and person assigned to train her because Dino assumed he was the person Elsa felt most comfortable to be with – incidentally this was how Luciano found out.

"Are you done?" Luciano asked, he began filing his nails.

Elsa glowered at him, but he had long gotten used to her glares and stares as Dino had. She looked at herself in a body-length mirror and cocked her eyebrow at the look, a women's suit – how nostalgic. She felt…different. She felt like she was now truly involved with the Cavallone family. She always had doubts about the Cavallone being the third in power in the mafia world, so maybe through this she would be truly convinced. Elsa dusted her pants and brushed her fingers through her tangled hair. She was ready.

Luciano peered at her, putting his filer away, "Finally, took you long enough. You look good in it."

She grew nervous as they neared Dino's office, and was thankful it was located in the opposite side of the mansion. With every step it felt like the shackles around her ankles were becoming heavier and heavier, she knew the Cavallone men were watching from a distance while smoking their anxiety for her. She had never seen a woman in the household (other than Yano) it was highly possible she would be the first female to serve under Dino. The thought made her arms break out in goosebumps, perhaps he would expect little of her? Dino didn't really seem like the type to be sexist, but if all his underlings were men then why not? Maybe he would assign her the job of the house cleaner or a dishwasher, or maybe Dino had a sadistic side to him and she would become his personal rage toy and whip her innocent self day after day, or maybe he had a BDSM fetish (that wouldn't be very nice), or maybe he would force her to satisfy all his men? She was pure, she didn't want that! Or **worse**…he would make her become Yano's personal slave. The thought of that was terrifying! Dear Vongola she would burn—

"We're here." Luciano suddenly spoke, the words made her shudder. He saw she was beginning to perspire and her fists were clenched into tight balls. "Elsa you have to calm down, you've been with Dino for a while, why are you so nervous about seeing him? What's gotten into you?"

"It's just that…this is different…I…what if I screw up and get sent home?"

"Get some balls." Luciano pointed at her coldly, "You used to be tough Elsa what happened? You had more balls than any of us before and now look at you! **BALL-LESS**"

Elsa looked shakily at him, her fists relaxed. It wasn't a very intellectual way of putting it, but she got what he meant. She wasn't being herself. Luciano opened the door to Dino's office and shoved her in abruptly. Chickening out, she turned to make a run for it, but Luciano had slammed the door shut in her face. He wasn't going to let her out; he'd slaughter her if she did. Elsa slammed her fist against the door and cussed angrily. Her fingers were still shaking, she was too afraid to face Dino.

Dino spoke from behind her, "Elsa, are you ready for this?"

Elsa didn't budge.

_This never gets old…_Dino sighed with a smirk, "Turn around."

Stiffly, she obeyed, craning her body to face him as slowly as she could.

"Sit." He ordered again, he felt like he was commanding a dog.

Elsa walked mechanically to the couch in front of his desk, her arms were glued to the side. She attempted to sit herself down as naturally as possible, but lost her balance as she tripped over her own two feet and fell back. As the couch began to tilt, she let out a strange squeal and crashed backwards onto the carpet floor. The couch was tilted upwards. Her legs dangled in the air. Elsa scrambled up and lifted the couch back into position, as explosion of red swathed her face.

Dino held back an outburst of guffaws, he began to shake hysterically while slamming his palm against the table. His hand was cupped over his mouth to hold it in.

"S-Shut up!" Elsa squawked. Nothing could have been worse than this, now she was embarrassed as well as anxious.

Dino calmed himself down, and regained his composure. He grinned stupidly at her. "You never change do you Els?"

What was he trying to get at? Elsa thought, scowling at him. Her feet shifted around restlessly.

"Actually, you've already been accepted into the family, there's no such thing as an admittance meeting or whatsoever."

Elsa's eyes popped open, what the hell was she getting all worried for then? And why didn't he tell her sooner? _Gah. Are you serious?_

Dino raised his hand, "The reason I wanted to talk to you like this was to discourage you from joining."

Elsa jumped to her feel angrily, "What? You're the one that offered me this in the first place, you said I could because you—" She hesitated, "You liar!"

"Jeez hold on, I haven't finished." Dino gestured for her to cool her head, there was nothing more frightening than an angry Elsa. "I'm not saying I don't want you to join, it's just that I've never had a girl serve under me before. I'm just…"

"Afraid?" Elsa cut him off, "Because I'm a 17 year old girl?"

"Exactly that, if you get hurt I'll blame myself."

"Then don't let me get hurt, _Boss_. Train me to be invincible. If Romario's your right-hand man then someday I'll be your right-hand _wo_man." Her eyes pierced at him, her confidence was overwhelming it surprised Dino. Maybe she had the potential? Just maybe.

Dino spun his chair around. He sighed heavily, "You know people die right?"

"I know."

"You know I can't be there to save you all the time?"

"I know."

"You know you're entering a world of crime?"

"I know."

"And therefore you'll become a criminal."

"Yes, I know."

Dino got out of his seat and began walking towards her with the deepest concern in his warm, thoughtful, brown eyes, "You know this is a world of cruelty, and when it comes to a point where you're faced with a life or death situation, it is your responsibility…"

"I know." Elsa said tersely, "All these things I know, I wouldn't be so keen on this if I didn't—ah…" Dino brushed his fingers through her hair. Elsa shuddered, the adrenaline rushed through her veins. He held her face in his hands and brought it closer to him, she tried to look away but his gaze was hypnotic and sincere – it was impossible to not be mesmerized by them. Dino whispered the words to her with the most pained expression she'd ever seen him show, "You know…you'll have to give me up?"

His nasal, endearing voice was enough to make her heart jump out on the highway and flail its arms suicidally for a truck to run it over. The pang in her heart felt too familiar, it was coming back, that uncongenial emotion. This was bad; her feelings for him were never abolished in the first place, but she was more than certain she'd gotten over him in the past week! What happened?

She tried to break free but her feet wouldn't budge. How much power did this man have over her? She was on his leash like a pet. Elsa gritted her teeth, she felt nauseous and dizzy, and her stomach was overflowing with butterflies. "I know, idiot. I promised…"

Dino smiled at her. She tried to back away, but before she could, he brushed her bangs aside and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He leaned in and kissed her forehead gently, enrapturing her in a momentary bliss. It was as if a gun had been pressed against her head and the trigger had been pulled. A shockwave of emotions had stirred through her skin and bones. Her heart had been punctured by his lips and now it was swimming in ecstasy. She wanted it to go on and on and on, she didn't want to loose this.

For a second, she blanked out. Dino let her go and took a few steps back, his face looking down in bitter guilt. Elsa took a moment to comprehend what had happened, and a jolt of realization then struck her. She knew what this meant, it was not a gesture of love – It was a gesture of sympathy and departure. She knew what Dino was trying to tell her, that this was the limit to his feelings for her. This was the _only _feelings of intimacy he could offer her, the _only_ feelings he could return. It was his apology for all he had done to cause this, but it was also a warning that nothing would change if Elsa kept on loving him. She had to cherish that kiss, the feel of his soft lips touching against her skin, because it was all she was going to get.

_Thank you…Dino. _She grinned. _This is the end of my love life._ She straightened herself up and bowed before him.

"I swear loyalty to you Cavallone Tenth Generation Boss."

Dino regained his smile, then handed her something. She took it without a second thought, the weight of its sin was hers to take.

"It's only a handgun, but you'll need it either way." Dino said.

"Yes, Boss."


	27. The Malicious Side

_Disclaimer – Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. Also for this chapter I do not own Marlboro cigarettes (I don't smoke)!  
_

Aww you guys are so passionate about LucianoXElsa it makes my heart flutter. HAHA I'm kidding…Luciano is in his mid 30s (one of you guessed it right) so…pedophile much?

I sense hate reviews for this chapter…reviews filled with raging hate, but...good things come to those who wait.

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

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**Chapter 27**

**The Malicious Side**

Elsa's was assigned a collectors job as the 'bag man' or in her case the 'bag woman'. Basically it was her responsibility to collect the protection fee from shops located around town and the profit from casino's owned by the Cavallone family. It was a reasonable job, considering she had no experience whatsoever (actually, Dino just didn't want her nagging him) and she reminded herself Dino was no longer her fiancé but her Boss, and that she was not allowed to bully him anymore. She sighed – what a loss.

Elsa fingered the handle of the handgun Dino had given her, she was itching to use it somehow.

Luciano saw her eagerness, "When your position is higher and your jobs are harder, you'll get a bigger gun, but for now you just need something practical."

Elsa was completely satisfied with what she had now, because she knew in future she would be a top notch mafioso standing beside Dino as one of his best, and she wouldn't even need a gun then. She'd have her own unique way of fighting, maybe with a tennis racket or something nifty. For now she had a trusty handgun loaded with a magazine of illegal bullets. What annoyed her was the fact Dino was collecting money from innocent people, she'd heard of extortion money and she knew it was common ploy for the mafia to make big bucks but it was hard to imagine Dino forcing harmless and vulnerable citizens to pay up. _Meh__. __It's my job._ She pushed herself to focus.

"Hey Luciano, does Dino really expect us to squeeze money out of people around here?"

So much for _Meh__**.**_

Luciano shrugged, "It's best if you just do what your told without asking too much. Dino's intentions are never bad, everything he does is for us and the people."

Elsa grimaced, it's not like she wanted to believe Dino was a bad person, someone with a heart as big as his would never stoop so low. They pulled up at a curb and stepped out. Elsa examined the state of the run-down shop they'd stopped at, the window cracks were taped over and the door hinges had rusted severely. Whoever owned it had to be financially troubled, why scab money off the less-fortunate? A person came out, a man in his late 20s with an unshaven face; he took out a packet of Marlboros and pulled out a cigarette. Luciano glanced over at the fragile Elsa standing beside him, maybe it was best if he did the talking, he decided. But before he could even take a step forward Elsa had snuck behind the man and stuck her foot out. He tripped over and tumbled down the steps leading from the door and landed face flat into the concrete ground. He let out a groan, but before he could get up Elsa stamped her foot against his spine and he limped forward again. She pointed the nozzle of her handgun against his head.

"Who the fuck are you?" He cussed at her with frustration, and Elsa pressed the gun further into his head. He froze.

She picked up the freshly lit cigarette and lodged it into the corner of her mouth. She took a puff and blew a train of smoke into his face, "I'm from the Cavallone family, here to collect the protection money. Pay up."

His companions barged out the door only to meet Elsa's uncanny, lurid glare. She snickered. They stiffened from head to toe. Luciano passively watched the scene with fascination, where had Elsa been hiding this all this time?

Elsa realized they were loan sharks, and this was their hideout, it felt good knowing Dino really wasn't a diabolical mafia boss. She gestured for the men to bring the money out, they obeyed without further ado. Luciano took the sack of bills from them and nodded for Elsa to finish up. She spat the cigarette on the ground and pointed the gun away from his head.

The man cursed under his breath, "Why is there even a fucking woman in the Cavallone, and serving that pretty boy bastard—"

_BANG!_

A bullet scraped across his jaw, barely missing the inner flesh. Blood oozed across like honey. The crotch of his pants grew moist, a clear sign of cowardice and fear. His companions went silent and retreated back, Elsa stepped off the man. He didn't budge from the ground, he didn't want to, so he lay there like a helpless insect. She walked off coolly with Luciano trailing behind, leaving the loan sharks to shake with humiliation and fear. Even Luciano let a drop of sweat fall from his brow, Elsa's performance was exhilarating.

As they turned a corner, out of sight, Elsa collapsed to the floor and lost her cool composure. She was panting and sweating with her fingers clutching her chest. Her raw heart was about to pop out, "Holy cow I can't believe I just did that, I thought I was going to die!"

Luciano gaped, "IT WAS ALL A BLUFF?"

"I-It was my first time using a gun too…" She pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed her perspiring forehead.

Luciano gawked in disbelief, what the hell was she thinking? And here he was thinking she deserved a little credit – guess not. "If Dino finds even a scratch on you, I'll be the one to blame!"

"Cheh, who does he think I am? Just tell him I'm a free girl."

He shook his head, "Not possible." Then changed the subject, "By the way, I didn't know you smoked."

"I don't. It was my first time. I've always wanted to smoke, but I didn't think it'd be that bad…blegh."

"Smoking is bad for the skin complexion." _He'd_ know.

"But I've seen you smoke with Romario and the others…"

"It's just to fit in." Luciano muttered. If only they knew.

Elsa chuckled, the poor guy was nothing like herself, if only they could switch positions, then he could pursue a career in the fashion industry and she could fit in the mafia perfectly and peacefully. "Hey…did I do alright?"

"It was passable, but dangerous." He circled her curiously, his eyes examining her lanky figure. Elsa really suited this style, it was possible she was even born to be a Mafioso, but the chances were very unlikely knowing her idiocy and rashness, "When did you learn to be so…intimidating?"

Elsa scratched her head, not even she knew. "Instincts I suppose. It's strange, because whenever I tried to scare the children back in my hometown they'd laugh at me and call me stupid, and then they'd start throwing rocks at me. In the end I was the one that ran off…degrading isn't it?"

"Typical of you," Luciano scoffed.

Elsa sensed curiosity in his eyes, she smirked. "I'll tell you more if we finish every store on the list by today."

"W-Who wants to know more about you? I'd rather you tell me more about my Dino!" Luciano turned away stubbornly, crossing his arms, "You had so many opportunities to peep on him."

She shrugged, "Whatever."

She had seen all she wanted.

**xxxx**

Back at the mansion, Yano was packing busily for her flight home. She whistled a hymn, she was practically oozing with pheromones of joy and even Dino could see that. Why was she in such high spirits? Because she had successfully stolen the rich, handsome, powerful mafia boss from that spineless wimp. Oh life couldn't get any better. How would she spend her good fortune after the marriage? Luxury, luxury, luxury, luxury…it was the only word she could think of. She'd have an enormous wardrobe filled with sunny dresses, sunny dresses, and more sunny dresses – oh and three or four servants (in her wardrobe apparently). If Dino was infatuated enough, maybe he'd even let her have Elsa as her personal slave. HAW – the bitter irony.

Meanwhile, Dino was sitting behind her on the bed, smiling fondly. He was watching her every move with admiration. "What's with the mood?" He asked curiously.

"Eto. I'm just so happy we're finally together after so many years. I've always thought my feelings were one-sided…what about you ne?" Yano looked up at him, a sense of plea gleamed in her eyes.

Dino turned red. Yes. He blushed. He looked away sheepishly and stood up to give her a hand. But of course (as always) he tripped clumsily over his own two feet and fell on top of the bipolar maiden (if she was even pure). She gasped aloud, "Get off me you klutz!"

Dino was startled. What did she just say? He looked at her in scrutiny. She clasped her hands over her mouth and quickly spouted an excuse, "I-I mean...eto…what a-are you doing – ne?"

Dino sat up. "Sorry." His expression remained skeptical, for a moment there he could have sworn she was a completely different person. It was probably just his mind playing with him, he convinced himself. Yano shifted away, fidgeting with her fingers and looking at him with vulnerable eyes – she was good at this, oh yes she was. Dino let a feeling of guilt slip into his gut, he leaned in and ran his thumb behind her ear, pushing a strand of hair back. Yano shuddered and recoiled, a completely opposite reaction to Elsa – too bad for Dino. He was a stunner, but even she had her limits with the lovey-dovey crap.

_Self-control…self-control…_She chanted in her mind.

Dino was (very) confused, but before he could doubt her any further, Yano slid her arms around his neck and kissed him roughly on the lips. He responded by kissing back, but for some reason it felt unnatural to him, it was like kissing a wall. To Yano's dismay, three seconds into the make-out session his cell phone began to ring and naturally Dino answered it, breaking their intimate (awkward) moment.

"_Pronto_?"

Yano hated it whenever Dino spoke in Italian, it meant she couldn't eavesdrop.

Luciano spoke quickly, "Boss, quick! We're at Carlo's Casino, Elsa she—UWAH!"

Immediately, Dino thought to himself: not _again._ He knew it was too soon for her...he got up.

Yano tugged the end of his shirt, "What's going on?"

He sighed, "It's Elsa. She's in trouble _again_."

Immediately she ticked, "WELL DON'T GO! IF YOU DO THEN THAT MEANS YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT ME!"

Uhh?

Dino was loss for words, what was happening to this woman? This wasn't the Yano Watase he knew. "Yano…I told you there is nothing going on between us. She's part of my family now."

"FAMILY? That whor—I mean…e-eto I'm sorry…" She blubbered her words, "…t-that was so ugly of me…I can't believe I just…"

Dino sighed again, "I don't care, I would never think badly of you. In fact, I'm happy. I didn't think you'd be this worried." He flashed his gentle, silly smile, and she was somewhat relieved, "But you know I always put my family in priority. I promise I'll come back as soon as possible."

GRR. Yano hated Elsa. She hated her. She hated her more than faking this cheesy romance. From the day she had met Dino a few years back until this very moment, she had never let a single female lay hands on _any _of her male property. Dino was her third prey and her best by far, but his one flaw was his devotion to his family and overtly caring personality, not to mention his natural ability to attract annoying and difficult women (Elsa). And because he lived all the way in Italy it was impossible to keep a careful eye on him. Most of the men she'd reeled in were generally attracted to her appearance – which she had full confidence in – but Dino was a special case, she could only keep him in her trance as long as she could mask herself with a Cherub's personality. It was possibly the most tiring task yet – to keep her true self hidden.

With reluctance, she agreed to let him go, but before he could leave she reached up for one last kiss. She tightened her leash on him with this affection, and as he shot out the door, Yano wondered what despicable plan she could come up with to turn the relationship between Dino and Elsa sour. She wanted them separated, be it lovers or not.

**xxxx**

Dino was speeding his car, skipping red lights and ignoring the loud horns – but of course the cops wouldn't dare to lay a finger on the Cavallone family. Dino swerved around a corner, his men trailed not far behind.

"It should be eight blocks down the street." Romario said.

Dino sped up, he pushed the breaks abruptly at the flashing lights of a casino. He rushed out the car along with his army and stormed towards the main entrance. Luciano's car was parked directly in front. As they swarmed in like ants (like they always do) Dino pulled out his whip and—

"GAHAHAHA, FEAR MY WRATH!" Elsa boomed, standing atop a beefy man sprawled across the wooden floor, she had a gun pointed at his buttocks. Several slot machines had been tipped over, silver coins had splattered everywhere.

"She's the Devil's incarnation—no she's his wife! Even the devil is afraid of her!" A few of the hooligans that owned the place cowered in the corner, sweating buckets.

"If you let me wax your legs, I'll consider letting you go."

"WHY YOU—"

"If you don't, I'll make a second hole in your ass."

"SPARE ME OH GOSH WAX ANYWHERE YOU WANT!"

"That's much better, I'll see that every inch of hair is plucked from your legs—"She was simpering.

"Elsa?" Dino choked. What on earth was she doing?

"Why is the Cavallone Tenth Generation Boss here?"

Dino turned his gaze to Luciano, who was sitting at a table drinking a glass of martini with the money collection sack in his lap. Luciano shrugged indifferently at him, "I tried to stop her, but she's been going crazy like this every place we go, she even shaved their heads at the last place we were at. She broke my phone, that's why we cut off."

Dino looked with much irritation at the wild girl, "Elsa, stop!"

Elsa froze, and craned her head slowly towards Dino. _Oh shit. _He was looking very unimpressed – although her new subordinates were giving her a thumbs up behind him – Including Romario.

"O-Oh Dino—I mean Boss…err…" She stuttered awkwardly. The hooligan that was pressed under her foot suddenly began to get up. He flicked a switchblade from his pocket and turned over to slash her.

Dino dove in to rescue her, "Elsa watch out!"

Elsa stumbled to the side. The sharp edge of the knife cut her slightly on the skin of her left cheek. A sudden impulse caused her to stick her foot out. The hooligan tripped and fell to his knees. His knife slid from his fingers and Elsa snatched it off the ground. She tucked her gun away and pressed switchblade dangerously against his neck. The cold metal sparked his nerves, he cowered.

Her voice pierced with malice in his ears. "Move, and I'll spill enough blood to paint this entire casino."

He fainted from the fear…Some gangster he was.

Elsa stepped off his limp body with a pompous smile. She kept the switchblade for herself and went to Dino's side. She waited proudly for his praise, but Dino wasn't smiling back at her – oh no he wasn't. He was grimacing with agonizing worry, crossing his arms irately. Elsa's smile dropped, and she began to wonder if Dino ever would be happy with her…fiancée or underling.

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Marlboro - A cigarette brand.

_Pronto _– Hello?


	28. The Malicious Side of HIM

_Disclaimer – Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. _

**I changed my Penname from NekoiiXx to Nerro, just to clear up any confusion. **

Yes, I participated in NaNoWriMo and thus I did not update. Sorry about that delay and thank you for your patience! I'm sure some people have dropped the story by now LOL. In the end I didn't finish NaNo because of schoolwork overload as well as -cough- procrastination -cough-

If anyone has any questions regarding the plot/situation I'll answer them without spoiling anything (with your penname attached) every following update at the end of the chapter, so don't hesitate to ask…BECAUSE I LOVE YOU ALL (what a creep).

Thank you for supporting this story as always and thank you for praising Elsa :)

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

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**Chapter 2****8**

**The Malicious Side of HIM**

Elsa counted in her head. _3…2…1…_

"How could you be so reckless? I asked you to _peacefully _collect the money and instead you go around picking fights? What if your bluff was found out? What would you do then?" Dino scolded her.

"Bluff? It's not…" Elsa began to protest, but she held her tongue and stomped on her pride – just a little, if she did anymore she wouldn't have any pride left after all the pride-killing she'd been doing lately.

Unfortunately for her, Dino was not nearly as deaf as she thought and it only made him angrier. "Elsa, being in the mafia is not just about being intimidating. If anything goes wrong the family is at risk too! I told you twice it isn't a lenient world!"

_I know what I'm doing. _She pouted, but lowered her head and let her bangs fall forward to hide her shame.

Man…she blew it big time. Her first job too. Was there ever a time when he could praise her and _not _find her a complete nuisance? Dino's lecture did not end there, he explained to her to rules of Cosa Nostra and clearly distinguished between the mafia she saw in movies and reality. He then gave her a fair warning and demoted her from a collectors job to a messengers job, he figured an office job would be too harsh of a punishment. Elsa took it cool, although her fun was short-lived, she tolerated it and gave him a glum nod like the dog she was. She kept her groans and complaints to herself, she had to remember if she was going to fulfill her promise she would need Discipline. **Discipline. **

The lack of reaction from Elsa made Dino worry, "Look, I didn't want to have to do this…"

"I'm cool with it, I understand." Elsa rolled her eyes, she patted him on the back for reassurance, "Anything you say, Boss."

Dino twitched. Yes, it was his turn to twitch. Not Elsa, but Dino. Was she not going to bite back at him? She wasn't being herself with him at all, and Dino liked to have an honest connection with every one of his subordinates. She was treating him like a complete stranger, and he didn't like it because he was (truthfully) very fond of her as a human being – not quite enough to return her feelings, though. But he knew she was doing this to keep a distance from him, not because he was her boss, but because he forced her into this position, and he took a lot of guilt from it. Maybe he should have…no…he couldn't. It would be bad for both Yano and Elsa. Come to think of it, Yano was probably buzzing for him to come home by now.

"She's calling for you isn't she? You both must've racked up a pretty close relationship in such a short time." Elsa let out a hymn of chuckles Dino was not used to, it was hard to believe it didn't bother her one tiny bit, it had to upset her somehow, she was a very easily jealous person.

But he couldn't say that. "Yeah, I should be going. I'll let you finish the job…but _civilly_please, until the end of the day. Promise me Elsa?"

She grinned, "Of course, Boss."

"Jeez, I'm never going to get used to this." He muttered out loud enough for her to hear. He reached over mess her hair as he'd always do, but as a thought came across his mind he stopped. Elsa looked puzzled at his hesitation. Dino let his arm slump to his side, he figured now would be the best time to drop this habit of his. Instead, he smiled sheepishly at her and gave an awkward pat on her shoulder. Elsa raised an eyebrow, what the hell was he doing?

"I…uh…" Dino stumbled with his words, "be careful…" he scratched his head.

It was quite amusing for her to see the behavioral changes when Elsa switched from being his fiancée to his follower. He was distancing himself from her wasn't he? She thought it was for the better anyway. Dino left with his men tagging along like faithful greyhounds. They all waved at Elsa (not including Dino) before jumping in their cars and zooming off. She smiled faintly as the sound of the engines faded into the distance. A wet feeling kissed along her arm. Oh dear, she wasn't crying was she? Elsa looked up at the darkened sky, thunder clapped and the rain began to fall.

_Oh thank god. _

Luciano and Elsa ran inside their own car for shelter, slamming the doors as they did.

**xxxx**

_Where is that Dino? Where the hell is that dope? I swear that pest is holding him up…I knew I should've extended my plane ticket…if he doesn't get back now my plan isn't going to work…what if he comes back with some bullcrap excuse? _Yano nibbled on her thumb anxiously, her feet tapped against the floor like rapid gunfire. The plan was to euphemize Elsa—no actually it was to stir feelings of hatred between Dino and her – but it was a fleeting thought, as immoral as it was. Dino had to be home in exactly five minutes or else everything would not go according to—

"Yo. What are you doing?" Dino came in from the corridor, his hair was slightly damp from the pouring rain outside. Yano jumped in fright. He sat beside her on the cushiony sofa and slumped backwards.

"Eto…you're home!" Yano flung her arms around him. She nuzzled against the nape of his neck, her hair slithering behind his shoulder. Dino shuddered and held her back.

"Yano, what's wrong?"

"I missed you." She purred, stroking his hair and leaning in for passion between two lovers. He held his hands out like a wall, barricading her from moving closer.

"I think we should stop…"

She looked confused, why was he such a bitch about being intimate? They hardly ever kissed, and if they did she was usually the one taking initiative – did that not make her the man in the relationship? This was all wrong, _she _was meant to be the one being fought over, _she _was meant to be the one craved for. Yano climbed on top of him, her hands pawing his chest persistently. She arched her back in a feline stretch and straddled him. He tried to break free, she let her hair brush along his jaw, slithering up with erotic intentions; it sent gratifying shudders down his spine. She was so very, very enticing, her clear eyes inviting him, tempting him to take on the role as the predator. He felt shallow for even considering the thought, but what could a man do in this situation? His will as a gentleman was dwindling slowly and painfully.

Oh god this was really turning Dino on.

When did she become this…sensational. She cupped his chin in her hands and dove in for a snog. The sound of footsteps caused him to panic, but Yano kept on with her antics. Oh crap it was Elsa wasn't it? He just knew it was her…he could feel it. Nothing ever went right between him and Elsa, it was like fate had shot an arrow of disaster between them.

"Dino—I mean Boss? Where are you?" Elsa called, she then grumbled disjointedly under her breathe, "Stupid blond, can't do anything for himself…"

Dino held back a grin. This immediately was a turn off for Yano, she scrunched her nose irritatingly, but this was good, things were happening earlier than expected. She pulled her cardigan off. Dino was baffled, what on earth was she doing?

Her strap fell loose and slid down her shoulder. Dino pulled hastily pulled it back up, his face reddening.

"Boooooooss...hello?" Elsa neared the lounge.

With force, Yano pulled Dino's jacket off and let her fingers run through his hair. She licked at her lips and gave him a playful smirk. Whatever happened to the innocent girl he was dating? She'd completely lost her façade. Yano began tugging his shirt off, Dino grabbed her arm in attempt to stop her, she only looked at him with an annoyed frown.

"What's wrong?" She demanded.

"I'll ask you the same question!" He struggled to break free, careful not to hurt her in any way, but Yano would not give in that easily, she bit on the end of his shirt and began tearing it off with her hands. Dino gaped in horror and grabbed both her arms this time. "Yano what on earth are you doing?"

Elsa heard noises coming from the lounge a few doors down, she began pacing herself towards that direction. She murmured to herself, "Oh, there you are. Finally found you."

Yano did not look as if she was going to stop. Her face mimicked a drunken cat ready to pounce, would Dino's twenty-two years as a virgin seriously end on this day? He was about to be raped by a woman, mercy on him!

Having no free hands, Yano nudged her knee into a very delicate area – the crotch. This time, Dino was getting more than red, he was practically sweating beads, he had to push her back, things were going much too far. Oh but he couldn't…he could never hurt a woman…

"Ah! Dino!" Yano cried out, loud enough for it to echo out the room.

Elsa jumped in surprise. She froze for a second, not sure of what she had just heard.

"No not there…Ah!"

It was déjà vu. Elsa had witnessed something like this before…but when? Now was not the best time to be reminiscing distasteful memories. She crept up against the wall and snuck quickly down the corridor, waiting for another sound.

"Yes…nn…"

"Will you stop that?" A young man's voice broke in, one in which Elsa hoped not to hear.

"Okay…I'll do it your way…"

Elsa was struck with paralysis for a total of thirty seconds. Her realization of what was (supposedly) going on caused her to run at the speed of light with a flame of ferocity blazing in her gut. She hoped she was wrong, oh she hoped so! She skidded across the floor and came to a halt at the moving couch. Her bottom lids shimmered with budding tears as her eyes were scarred by the very scene in front of her. She did not know how it happened, she believed Dino was a good person…but obviously she was—

"Will you stop trying to pull my pants down?" Dino had somehow been rolled on his back and was being molested by Yano's greedy hands. She was all over him. She had somehow managed to rip his shirt off completely and was now looming over him as the dominant partner.

Elsa couldn't quite make out what was happening. Dino noticed her presence, and out of shock, leaped to his feet, causing Yano to fly off him and collide against the couch. He raised his arm defensively. "Els…believe me I had no intentions!"

"I can see that." She looked at him strangely. He was not as manly as she thought.

"Yano what were you thinking?" Dino yelled, his expression was oozing with obvious humiliation.

"Eto…I just wanted us to be closer…?" Yano had somehow managed to regain her timid posture. Her shy disposition had come back.

Dino looked fed-up. Which was a first for Yano, not for Elsa of course. He picked up his ripped shirt and his jacket and sighed. He turned to Elsa who was still standing there, looking stupidly at him. "What did you want? You got back early."

"Well…it began to rain and the stores were closed…" Elsa started, a little afraid of what to say, "I was going to tell you Luciano asked me to hand you this, he picked it up on the way in." She held out a parcel, wrapped in string and thick, colored plastic, and scotch tape. It was addressed to Dino, but it was not signed nor was there any indication of a return address on it. Dino took it from her, still flustered from being violated.

"Thanks." He looked at Yano with concern and a slight hint of anger at the same time. It was hard for him to let this incident go, but he didn't want to seem unreasonable, "Yano, I think you should stay here and cool down a little." He began to leave the room and gestured for Elsa to follow him.

"Wait, I'll come with you!" She squawked.

"No." He replied bluntly.

Elsa wondered why Yano was beginning to lose herself, she was usually very good at hiding her personality. She seemed a little…desperate? Not as strong as her feisty self from when she stole Dino away. Perhaps she was beginning to—or—no…it couldn't be. Elsa thought it was foolish, Yano was not capable of that, if she was then it'd be just too bizarre. Hell would have broken loose by the time that happened. She looked back and saw Yano pouting at the end of the couch, crossing her arms like a child, and looking just a bit…just a little bit heartbroken. Just a bit.


	29. Separation Again

_Disclaimer – Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. _

I've skipped the Mukuro Arc plainly because Dino had nothing to do with it. It's time for Varia Arc…it's time. Christmas soon...wow time flies.

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

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**Chapter 2****9**

**Separation Again**

_Yano left. _Elsa could safely say. It was the most celebratory moment in her life…right after her acceptance into the Cavallone family. The effed-in-the-head girl had left in a very paranoid state. Before leaving them through the departure gate, she gave Dino a big sloppy kiss which was completely out of her character and she also triple knotted a red string around his wrist and told him never to take it off for as long as they were together – which SHE assumed would be for eternity. She dropped all the 'eto' and 'ano' remarks which was good in a way, but this new side of her neither belonged to the fake nor the real, she was having a mental breakdown for some unknown reason and thus this new personality was born. That aside, as long as she was across the vast seas in another country, Elsa was fine with it.

It had been months since that day, and strangely enough Yano had not called Dino even once during her absence; Dino's attempts to contact her had always been met with a voice-mail. Although on one occasion, he'd received a voice message from her, apparently her mother had a severe case of whooping cough and the reception in the countryside was not particularly the best. Well, setting that aside, Elsa had more important things to worry about. It regarded the parcel Dino had received the day before Yano was rostered to leave, it contained exactly two 26 carat Alexandrite gems in a metallic capsule. It was the first time Elsa had ever seen something so rare and exotic, she imagined the thing would have been worth millions, it was amazing what the mafia could get their hands on. She thought Dino had intentionally bought it, but apparently he hadn't, so she was given the job (as his messenger) to fly via helicopter all the way to the Vongola headquarters with the gems. You could imagine how ecstatic Elsa was, she almost choked the Tenth Generation Cavallone Boss to death. To avoid any unnecessary danger, Elsa was to go only with Luciano (as always) and they were not to say a word about this to anyone in the family or outside. The whole thing felt dubious to Elsa; it was as if Dino knew those Alexandrites held a bigger meaning than just money.

He gave her a letter to pass on to the 9th Generation Vongola Boss Timoteo, a man she did have high respect for – although nowhere near the amount she had for Giotto. It was almost too good to be true…she was finally able to see the Vongola up front! She had been running around as the messenger girl on a daily basis, sending unknown packages here and there; she thought this job would be dull but man was she wrong. She'd met a lot of new people these past few months, and although still vulnerable and weak, low-level mafia from around the country recognized her as the 10th Generation Cavallone Boss's Feisty Female Lapdog. They tried to avoid the word _bitch_ as much as they could. She had no idea how she earned this title - maybe her frowning eyes had finally come to use. Little did she know having a title as intimidating as this would put her in great danger. Elsa had been lucky not to have encountered any ambushes or assassination attempts, she was still terrible in combat.

"Remember to keep your phone with you at ALL times." Dino said.

"Yes Boss" Elsa replied, rolling her eyes.

"And don't break it this time, try to restrain yourself from throwing it on the ground when you're angry, please?"

"Yes Boss."

"Don't do—say anything stupid, and if you do get into trouble, please don't bluff your way through, we're not dealing with local punks anymore."

"Yes Boss…"

Dino was becoming more and more like a mother these days, Elsa thought, but whatever, it was because of him that the most exciting event in her life was about to happen.

The wind was gusting around her. This was in fact, her first time riding one of these big things. She and Luciano hopped into the private helicopter, her hair was beyond fixable by the time she got in, and Luciano sniggered at it. She put her headphones on which somewhat helped the flying cowlicks settle down. Before steering into the sky, Elsa looked out the window and watched as Dino left the venue without glancing back. This was good, things were really changing for the good between them, soon she'll have lost any lingering feelings for him, just a little bit more and everything would have evaporated into thin air, and then becoming the ideal, sole female member of the family would be possible, that was something to anticipate. She wouldn't let Dino down, she'd deliver the Alexandrites and letter without stuffing up and he would acknowledge her. He would. Even though she hadn't stuffed up even once since her change in jobs after the racketeering incident, she still felt Dino doubted her in many ways. She trained on a daily basis, although still scrawny, she was getting the basics of fighting and handling a gun quite smoothly.

It was hard to say when she'd get over him completely, but hopefully very soon, besides, it wasn't like before, she did (kind of) restrain herself much more – ironically it was taking months to forget him. Unlike her past self, she didn't ask to see Dino every day, she didn't stalk him whenever she got the chance, she didn't snoop around his private life, and she definitely not once—heck…why was she even dwelling on this bullcrap? Why did she always do this to herself? – angst about the things she didn't want to think about the most.

Elsa looked out the window, Dino and his men had become tiny specks. Might she add, Dino was a rather nicely shaped speck.

She cringed. _Shut up Elsa. _

The sound of the whirling propeller and choppy engine dulled into the distance, and then finally, Dino turned around. He lied big time, sending Elsa off with those gems to the Vongola was only an excuse to keep her safe, as cheesy as it sounded, by all means that was his intention. He crumbled under his fear that Elsa would be hurt because he had let her into the corrupted world of the mafia, if only he had realized earlier she was not mentally compatible with all of this. He regretted it so much, hosting that useless audition for the Mafia boss's wife. He should have just gone with an arranged marriage. He sighed, now wasn't the time for that. Things were becoming hectic over on the Vongola side, Mukuro Rokudou had caused a big ruckus over in Namimori, and now there was a feud between deciding the legitimacy of Tsuna becoming the 10th Generation Vongola Boss. Apparently the Ninth had a change of heart and decided upon Xanxus on becoming his heir, now why would he do that? Something was up.

On the Cavallone's side, things were just as bad. The Cadavere family had always been ready to take the Cavallone down, thus they were indecent enough to send their family heirlooms (which happened to be those Alexandrites worth a net price of millions – possibly billions) anonymously. With this, they could accuse Dino and his family of breaching their alliance and shifting to the enemy's side (those that dealt with drug trafficking and slave trade). And that was why, for the past few months, Dino had been forced to deal with a load of accusations that were staining the Cavallone name. It wouldn't be long until the Cadavere launched an ambush on their turf, and what made things even more distressing was that they had dragged three other prestigious families into the chaos. The weight of anxiety grew heavier by the day for Dino. For the Cavallone to be at war with a total of four mafia families would mean certain annihilation for them, and finding a way around the mess would be difficult.

"Boss, you've received a call from Reborn," Romario said.

"I'll be right there."

He just wanted to get Elsa away from all this, he figured letting her under the Ninth's wing would keep her in good hands for a while at least, he trusted Luciano as much. Dino felt the possibility of seeing her again would not be for a long, long, long, long time; maybe he should have said a more meaningful goodbye to her. It was too late for that.

**xxxx**

Elsa checked the time: it was exactly 7:45 late evening. They were almost at the Vongola base. She wondered what Dino—uhh Boss was doing right now…and by all means this was just natural concern for the man she served under, no romantic feelings involved or anything. She pressed her hands against the window and looked out at the sublime sight. The moon was full today, a luminescent ball that shone its light upon the vast land of emerald green, a current of wind pushed through the sea of trees, Elsa found herself gazing upon the sight in a mesmerized state, just as she would whenever she fell in love—

_Shut…up…Elsa, _she growled at herself for the lack of discipline. **Discipline. **Why was is so hard to forget about LOVE?

"Els we're going to land!" Luciano cried, steering down towards a widespread mansion Elsa could barely see through the darkness. She nodded, and the helicopter drew closer to the rooftop of one of the many spacious buildings. Glowing white signals rocked back and forth, the chopper landed safely on a platform, and the propellers ceased to a thumping noise. Elsa took her headphones off, and as she stepped out she was apprehended by a swarm of men-in-black armed with heavy rifles. She froze.

_I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'M GOING TO DIE! _She was panicking big time.

"Drop your weapons! We're from the Cavallone family!" Luciano stormed out of his seat and stood his ground protectively in front of Elsa.

"The Ninth is currently not seeing anyone!"

"Under the Ninth's Dying-will Flame we have the right to, " Elsa held out a documentation with a bright, orange fire, flickering brilliantly. Her hands trembled as she did.

The men looked at one another, and wondered what to do. They lowered their guns and two of them catered to Luciano and Elsa, leading them inside the entrance. They were lead down a coil of stairs, it all felt too fishy for Luciano and Elsa to relax. The walls were chipped limestone, and as they passed several wooden doors, Elsa began to feel as if they were not even in the Vongola headquarters. The deeper they went the darker it became, and the vintage lamps that hung on the sides barely made out the steps. At the end of the long walk, they came to a sturdy, metal door. The thought of going in quelled Elsa as much as it did for Luciano. The metal wings were opened for them, and inside revealed a line of empty jail cells.

"Hold on, what is this—" Luciano swirled around on his right foot and head-butted his cater. Before he could make another move, a handgun was pressed against his temple, and he was forced to keep still. Elsa directed her own gun at the perpetrator, she deduced he was the ringleader of the bunch.

"Girl, do you think it's wise to point that thing at the Vongola?" his voice was gnarly, almost frightening.

"The…T-The Cavallone Tenth will hear of this!" she stuttered, her hand quivering in fear. So this was what the _real _menace of the mafia was like.

"You have no proof that you're from the Cavallone family, we've contacted the Ninth. He tells us the document you presented is a phony, therefore you're both imposters!"

Luciano began furiously, "What? This is ridiculous, we—"

"Confiscate their weapons," Gnarly-voice man clicked his fingers, "and lock them in separate cells, the Ninth will see to them once the meddling it over." Elsa was stripped of her precious handgun and thrown into the murky cell, as was Luciano five cells away.

Elsa slammed her fists against the iron bars, "Hey, you can't lock me in here! This is outrageous what the hell? I demand you call my Boss!"

"I'll cut that tongue of yours if you don't shut it, Girl."

She slumped to the ground in terror, the apparent 'Vongola' men left the underground and locked the metal doors behind them. So that was it? Elsa thought, she was _this _much of a coward? She turned around and saw a bed with white sheets located at the corner. There was a small cubicle on the other side and a tap beside it, but other than that the cell was pretty damn stark and desolate. The floor was covered with bits of dirt, and the ceiling looked as if it would collapse any minute with all the cracks shooting from the edges. But now wasn't the time to be whinging about the state of her cell, what on earth was going on? Dino could definitely…definitely not have planned this could he? But the Vongola would never offend their allies in any way unless necessary, and frankly, the Cavallone were more like brothers to them than any other mafia family. Well…according to her years of research and her experience since being in the Cavallone.

"Els, are you alright?" Luciano called from his cell.

"Yeah…" she replied meekly.

"Just remember, Dino won't let this go!"

It was reassuring for him to say that, and she thanked him for it, but she had her doubts. She never imagined she would be so vulnerable and reliant. What were these past few months of training for in the end? This was reality, a death versus life situation, and she wasn't going to let Dino become her superman again. She'd get out of this…she'll get out somehow, and the first step is keeping those Alexandrites and the letter she hid in her shoe safe.

"Luciano, got anything on you we could use?"

"Nothing much, they took all my guns."

"Think domestic items. Don't you have a bobby pin or something? You always do my hair."

"I'm bald Elsa, I only use bobby pins on my wigs. Why do you need a bobby pin?"

"I'm going to pick the lock."

Luciano raised an eyebrow, he searched around his pockets for something, "I found a paperclip." He stuck his hand out a gap between two bars and slid the tiny thing across the floor, it halted exactly in front of Elsa's cell. She took it and began twisting the thing into all kinds of peculiar shapes.

"I didn't know you knew how to pick locks," Luciano said.

"I don't," replied Elsa.

* * *

**Questions**

**Anjeriin Fujioka:** What happened to Dino when he got the file that told him more about Elsa?

**Answer:** He opened it, he read it and he kept it. That's all I can say.


	30. A Spark in Life

_Disclaimer – Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. _

So like…MERRY CHRISTMAS GUYS! Where I live anyway.

Christmas message: Can you believe it's chapter 30 already? This story has come really far and I couldn't have done it without all the support out there. You know, I never really thought this story would go anywhere, initially it was just something I did out of boredom. Truthfully, I was going to drop it on the first chapter because I didn't expect much. But now look at it, the response is amazing and I've come to really appreciate this more than I did initially at the start. Shout out to the constant readers, and a big hello to the new readers. I know it's imperfect and the flaws stand out like zits, but despite that you all still persistently read. Thank you, I love you, have my babies. Have a flippin' wonderful Christmas and happy holidays :)

Next update will be extra long on New Year's Eve…in my country at least. So write it down!

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

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**Chapter 30**

**A Spark in Life**

"So like, I was all ecstatic and shit until he called me a failure in life, " Luciano said.

"Gee that's harsh…what happened then?" Elsa asked.

"He threw away all my romance novels and Dating Sim games, and told me to ask my uncle to introduce me into the mafia."

"Did you cry?"

"For months."

"Ah don't worry about it, at least you got to meet Di—I mean Boss."

"It doesn't help when my love in unrequited and he ends up dating a hag!"

"You've lived a tragic life," sighed Elsa. She rolled over to her side, "I'm surprised you haven't snapped yet."

"Believe me, I have. Many times."

Elsa chuckled.

Yes, the lock-picking was not as successful as she thought it would be. She had to stop bluffing all the time, lady luck couldn't always be on her side, although she often wondered why lady luck wasn't there for her love life…ah jeez.

So now they were indulging in Luciano's memories from before he was admitted into the Cavallone family. It was quite fascinating for Elsa, for she had never had a chance to really get to know a person – having spent most of her life as a hermit. He had quite a hefty past, with his mother typically being the supportive one of his irresolute sexuality and the father well…not as supportive. In the end, he couldn't quite define himself, he considered himself neither homosexual, heterosexual or bisexual, but just that he fell in love with whoever and whatever he wanted. The most complicated part of his life came when he began to find interest in the feminine lifestyle, at a puberty consumed age he began to question his own standing as a potential Mafioso for the Cavallone. Of course, we all know where that ended up. His very first fatal attraction was known only by himself, Elsa and Dino (not that he had a flippin' idea about that), but there were also hints of Romario's knowing as well.

_**2 Years ago…**_

_She'd deteriorated, from flesh to bones. There wasn't much this diary could do for her now, and she found little point in writing a letter to the doctor. It had been exactly two months since that time, and she was finding comfort in two packets of cigarettes a day. She liked the heavy ones the most, it just felt a whole lot better when the feeling was strong. Once or twice she contemplated on using something stronger, but she highly doubted that she'd have the money to pay for it. _

_She'd stopped going to school for about four weeks now, that was good. It felt much better having to avoid dirt and worms in her face every day, in fact, it felt much better overall detaching from the shitheads that she had to put up with in her hole of a school. Gradually, she felt she was forgetting why she hated young boys and young men. She was even beginning to forget the reason the world had turned its back on her. It was even a wonder why she was so full of anger these past two months, everything seemed to piss her off. She heard that cigarettes were depressants, something that would vacuum the stress and tension out of her system, and that was what started her addiction – no – she wouldn't call it that, it was more like a…necessity. She considered it part of her 'needs' category. And besides, it wasn't a big deal, it was just a stick with dried plants and maybe 4000 toxic ingredients. No biggie. _

_Ahh all this thought…she craved for a smoke right now. Strong essence of tobacco…it felt good. She lit a cigarette and inhaled, her fingers shook at the spread of ecstasy. Another breath. Another breath. Exhale. Inhale. A sigh of relief. _

"_I'll never give this babies up…" she chuckled, and drowned in the sinking feeling of relish. _

_**xxxx**_

They had been locked up for approximately four hours now, and as tight of a situation they were in, they couldn't care less. This shit was much more interesting – apparently.

"So what about you Els, what was your life like before you met Dino?" Luciano asked.

Elsa paused. She sat up on the bed attentively, "You know, I don't really remember much."

"Nothing at all?"

She shrugged, "Well…just faintly. I do remember falling head over heels a lot, and I do remember having to see a psychiatrist."

"I've never heard of any of this…" well that was a load of bull, he distinctly remembered every detail on that profile page Dino had taken a peek at, "…why?"

"You know, I have no idea, probably something to do with my parents."

"Did you hit your head on something before you joined the Cavallone?"

"I don't think so."

"Aren't you curious at all?"

"No, I don't want to be," she replied with much candor.

"Oh? What were your parents like?"

"Cheh…an alcoholic father, and a mother that liked to bring boys about ten years too young home to screw with."

"That's nasty."

Elsa laughed. She at least vividly remembered the torment of living with that woman. It was tormenting because she was hardly ever home. The smell of cigarettes distinctly reminded her the most of the moaning and groaning that went on whenever she _was _home. Why the smell of burning tobacco reminded her of that woman? she'd never know and she'd never want to. That small town was long behind her now, as fragmented as her memories were, there was no way she'd go back for anything, she had a feeling if she did, it would all be too much for her to take.

"Hey, you wanna keep picking at that lock or are we gonna lie here and rot to death?" Luciano said.

Elsa got up and resumed twisting and turning the metal piece through the keyhole. As she did, she wondered if Dino was on his way right now. She often thought of him whenever she was sent off to deliver messages and whatnot – in a perfectly healthy way of course. It was standard concern for her Boss, and as someone that served him it was only natural she'd have these sudden urges to be by his side. She wanted to protect him and—

"Elsa did they take the gems or the letter?" Luciano asked.

"Huh? No it's in my shoe, I've also kept my pho—JESUS I HAVE MY PHONE ON MY ANKLE I'M SUCH AN IDIOT!" she squawked aloud. She knelt down and began rolling her pants up.

"WHAT? You…all this time…?"

Elsa pulled out the brand new satellite phone Dino had entrusted to her and dialled his number. The response was immediate, before the first ring could even end. Had he been waiting all this time?

"Elsa! Are you alright? What did they do to you? What's going on in there? Are you hurt? Where are you right now?"

"I kept the letter and Alexandrites safe!"

He completely blew her off, "Forget those! What about you?"

She moved the phone a little further away from her ear, "C-Chill… can't you tell I'm fine? Luciano's here too."

"Els...I'm so sorry if only I knew sooner…"

"Hey it's alright, you had no idea it was going to turn out like this. Now what exactly is going on? Am I really at the Vongola headquarters? Because they certainly did not seem like Vongola henchmen to me."

She was ignored. "Sorry…oh geez this is my fault…"

"D—Boss tell me what's going on," Elsa was getting frustrated, not just at him but at her constantly having to correct herself for calling him by his first name. He was sounding like a complete wimp right now, if only she were there to slap him into some sense.

"Tsuna might not be the chosen Tenth, there's a war within the Vongola. I can't tell you anymore than this, if only I had known earlier you wouldn't be in this situation. I…I can't save you Elsa, it's not possible for me to go against my allies."

"It's cool, seriously, Luciano and I will find a way out."

"It's not that simple, this is the Vongola we're talking about. I know the Ninth, he's not careless."

Elsa rolled her eyes, "And I'm not that much of a simpleton, have a little faith and stop worrying."

"I can't stop worrying."

"And why not?"

Dino sighed, he pressed his cell phone closer to his ear. He murmured, "Just…wait for me…" There was a hint of desperation in his voice, a helpless desperation – well, how sweet. It was like he was begging, but he knew better than to shear away whatever pride Elsa had left by doing that.

Elsa ground her teeth irately, "I don't want to be useless anymore!"

"You're not useless, you're just not ready."

"Well then when will I be—"

Luciano suddenly called out from his cell, "Els! I hear something, hang up!"

"I'll call you," said Elsa in a flurry of words before hanging up reluctantly. She strapped her phone around her ankle and pulled the sleeve of her pants down before leaping back onto her bed and feigning sleep. Certainly, Luciano had been right, the doors opened and two supposed Vongola men walked in with the sound of rifles weighed in their hands. It was obvious they had come to keep an eye on the two Cavallone prisoners, but why now of all times? One of them peeped in Luciano's cell, and assuming he had fallen asleep, moved on to Elsa's cell. He stood there for a while, and after much deliberation, Elsa knew he was not planning on moving any time now. His eyes scattered around her from top to bottom, like a curious hunter staring feverishly at his caged prey. How pedophilic, she felt violated.

"You think it's a girl?"

"Nah it's a boy."

_Well excuuuuuuse me,_ Elsa was offended.

"Hair is a bit long for a boy?"

"Your hair is a bit long for a thirty-three year old virgin."

"Screw you. It's a girl."

"Well why you go check if you're so damn sure."

"Fine. I will."

Elsa shuddered slightly as the door of her cell screeched open and footsteps enter the premises. It was rude enough they were calling her a boy, what were they planning to do to her?

The man shoved his rifle in his companion's arms and was now leaning forward, his shadow casting over Elsa's resting body. She felt a caress of wind lift the ends of her hair, and immediately she knew his face was much too close to her own. She kept still. Beads of sweat began to form and perspire down her neck. Was now the right time to be doing something about this?

_Urgh. What's that smell? _A revolting, fishy odor dug into her nostrils. She held her breath.

"Hey she's not breathing."

"He."

"Shut up."

Elsa's complexion began to pale. There was only three or four times in her life did she remember having to hold her breath for more than thirty seconds; the first signs of light-headedness kicked in, it wouldn't be long before she'd pass out.

"Why don't you just grope the damn boy already and that'll confirm whether you're right or I'm wrong."

"And what if I'm right?"

"Then you get to touch a girl's breast for the very first time in your virgin life, "chuckled his companion, "sound good?"

"And I suppose _you've_ touched many," Elsa was far too woozy to even internally laugh at that comment. If he was going to touch her knockers, could he do so already before she died from the lack of oxygen or an accidental gunshot for feigning sleep? Or could this man at the very least…BRUSH HIS TEETH? It was bad enough they were bickering about her gender when she was obviously a very female looking female.

_Thwack. _

"GAH!" The rifles scattered into pieces across the floor. Elsa's eyes shot open and immediately she took a deep breath in. Before she could take a good look at the man who was about to violate her, he was thrown to the other side of the cell and collided head first into the brick wall. Luciano had knocked the two Vongola henchmen out – what a hero. Elsa got up and wiped the sweat from her neck with the sleeve of her pricey coat. She reattached the rifles to their rightful appearance and threw one to Luciano, he caught it with ease.

"How did you get out?" Elsa asked.

"I opened the cell with my fists. Who knew they were this rusted from being unused all these years," Luciano replied with a self-praising grin. Elsa took a glance at his half beaten cell, it was a wonder how he managed to pry it open with those bear hands of his. Well now they were even, she forgot about her phone and he didn't bother to try breaking the rusty bars until now.

"So what do we do now? I don't believe it's humanely possible for us to escape the Vongola," Elsa said with all confidence in their infamous power.

"If Mukuro Rokudo could escape the Vindice then we know nothing is impossible!"

"But that guy was creepy…he's different," Elsa shuddered. She'd heard all too much about him from her subordinates and even from Dino. Apparently Tsunayoshi Sawada and the lot had an unfortunate encounter with him, and the rumour was that Tsuna had taking some cocaine and turned into some kung-fu genius and smacked Mukuro and his crew to a pulp. Elsa had new respect for that guy. She had to try some of that cocaine stuff someday, maybe then Dino would consider her READY. Right, gotta snap out of this trance before they were killed.

"We'll sneak out from the main entrance," Luciano said.

"Oh yes, we'll just storm out the building and they'll just happen to believe we're just one of them out for a stroll, that won't be blaringly obvious."

"You're right Elsa! Why didn't I think of that? We'll just cut our way through!"

"WHAT? Are you crazy? There are two of us and maybe ten thousand of them!"

"Don't be such a spoil-sport, are you not part of the Cavallone? We have as much pride as any other mafia family!"

"Save the pride, we'll be dead before then."

"You said you didn't want to be useless anymore didn't you? Or are you going to sit here and wait for Dino…rely on him like you always do," he snickered.

"H-Hey that's not playing fair…" she grumbled. Now she really didn't have a choice, going back on her words was bad for her personal integrity. She secured the rifle in her arms and glared at Luciano. This was ridiculous, they were leaping into death like idiots, it would take a miracle for them to survive, but the glint of determination in Luciano's eyes told her it was either this or her pride. Maybe she should send Dino a text, but she wouldn't want to worry him any further, but there was also the fact this could very well be the last text she'll could ever send. Scrap that, she didn't want to jinx herself.

"When I signal my fingers it's asking you to move forward, if I hold two fingers up it means you need to hide, got it?"

"Mhmm," Elsa nodded, a little nervous…well…really nervous actually. Luciano swiped a collection of keys from one of the unconscious mafioso's pockets and began shoving them one at a time in the keyhole, they fumbled in his big hands as he did. By the ninth try he had successfully unlocked the latch, he opened the door for Elsa and waved his arm, gesturing for her to hurry up and move out. Quietly as he went out, it was closed again, and they paced up the stairs in a furious rush. Elsa stumbled along the way, and knelt down to retrieve her rifle, as Luciano turned back to help, a barrage of gunshots rattled beside them. They ducked for their dear lives and scampered up the staircase. Upon reaching the first floor the door was knocked over and Elsa and Luciano made a run for it down the corridor.

"They've gone to the second building!" voices cried out from behind them, and more gunshots were fired.

Elsa could feel her heart racing ahead of her, it pounded like there was no tomorrow…yes this was the adrenaline she needed! It felt so damn good to be in such life-threatening action! She felt high on drugs or something! She could hear Luciano firing from behind her, and as she turned a corner she was blocked by a Mafioso. She stumbled backwards and heard Luciano call out to her, "SHOOT ELSA, SHOOT!"

Naturally, she pulled the trigger. The Mafioso fell to the floor with his hands clutching onto his rear end in agonizing pain. Elsa was lifted to her feet by Luciano and her wobbly legs began chasing behind him once again. She felt her hands shaking in shock, the rifle still warm from letting a bullet release. They collapsed into the first room at another turn and locked the door. Luckily it was empty.

"Oh gosh I killed someone…oh God…oh my…I can't believe…Luciano I…"

"Els you didn't kill anyone! You shot him on the left buttcheek!" Luciano yelled.

"THAT'S VERY NICE TO KNOW."

"Help me barricade this door!"

"With what?"

"ANYTHING ELS HURRY UP! USE COMMON SENSE!" he began pushing a shelf in front of the door, so Elsa grabbed two chairs and placed it under the knob. Soon they had virtually all the moveable furniture in the room piled together as a blockade. Elsa looked out the window, so far their hiding place hadn't been found out, but she could see the Vongola henchmen swarming around outside searching for them. The drumming footsteps outside the door kept her nervous as ever, Luciano was scavenging for any weaponry that could possibly be stored in this room. She closed the curtain and clutched her beating heart. This was the most action she had even encountered up until now, it was exactly like the movies! Except the real thing was even better, much better. She just worried where things would go next, with the Vongola in its current state, would she even have time to meet the Ninth? She couldn't wait to call Dino and tell him about this whole new experience.

* * *

**Questions**

**Johrino: **How did Yano and Dino ever meet each other?

**Answer: **They met by coincidence a few years back before Elsa came in the story. Yano was in Italy at that time with another one of her 'boys'. Dino was infatuated with her immediately.

Note: If I ever forget anyone's question, just mention is again in your review, I'm bound to remember it that way :S


	31. Meeting the CEDEF

_Disclaimer – Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. _

Happy New Year! I'm just…not going to make anymore deadline promises alright? I feel bad. This is into Chapter 84 of Katekyo Hitman Reborn and onwards. Just updating.

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 31**

**Meeting the CEDEF**

The door could barely support the weight of the Men that were slamming their shoulders behind it. Anytime now the chairs, furniture, and Luciano would come flying across the room and both him and Elsa would be screwed. The last thing Elsa wanted was for them to be caught, or worse – killed, for she knew Dino would never let her live it down (that is, if the latter doesn't happen). The small-town girl was biting her tongue while on the phone with Romario – who promised keep their current intentions from the boss – and was pacing around the room with her heavy rifle loaded and ready in her hands.

"Are you sure that's the safest route?" she asked.

"According to our Intel, yes," replied Romario, "the timing has got to be perfect though. Miss Luca the chances of you and Luciano getting out of Vongola headquarters are almost zero."

"Hey, it's either this or we die, you've been in the mafia longer than me Romario, you know how things work," Elsa said, laughing it off. But this confidence was short-lived, when she really thought about it, what could a 17-year-old girl do? Not much.

"I suppose it's too late either way…"

"HEY! I DON'T HAVE ALL DAY!" Luciano barked, barely able to keep himself intact.

Romario wished them luck and Elsa ran back to help him keep the enemy from purging through their barricade. She explained the route as clearly as she could remember it, but before a safe plan could be thought out, a chair gave in from under the door knob and everything came toppling down. Luciano stowed his rifle on his back and slipped his hand around Elsa's waist, and swung her over his shoulder. He charged at the window and crashed through it, arms shielding them as he did. Before falling to their death, he mustered all the strength he had on one arm and grabbed a hold of one of the pipes that ran around the entire building. Elsa hit her head as they collided against the wall, and she began bleeding across her forehead, blood rolled down her cheeks. She flinched.

_For Vongola's sake, why me? _she thought.

Luciano tensely stretched his toe, and barely touched the next line of pipes below him. Elsa clutched onto the pipes above to relieve him from her (probably) heavy self (which she didn't want him complaining about later), and slowly Luciano side-walked across, on an unsteady platform, to the nearest balcony (which according to Romario should exist). The final knockdown of the door could be heard not far above, and a stampede of footsteps shook the pipes.

"Where'd they go?"

"The window, they jumped through!"

Luciano hurried. Elsa carefully got down from her ride and slipped in feet first into the balcony. Her companion followed shortly after and they both made a run for it into the corridor. It was a risk, but according to their route they would have to find some kind of rope and climb down the east side of the building. That all sounded too easy, but rope just didn't magically appear, and there was no way they'd make it to firearm cabinets. Elsa then had an idea, "Oi, just find me a bedroom."

"This is hardly a time for a nap!" Luciano cried.

"Don't be stupid, I have an genuine idea!"

He was reluctant to follow her strange orders, but nevertheless he found one and locked them in again. Now they were back to stage one, he thought. But Elsa had her own ideas, she began rummaging through the closets and pulling out coat hangers and coat hangers of mafia suits.

"Tie them together, I'm sure these are made for combat so the material should be top quality, at least strong enough to support our weight, "she said reluctantly. She couldn't believe she was about to misuse clothing like this.

"Elie you're brilliant, for once!"

"Please, just stick with Elsa…I've always wanted to say that to people…and when did tying a bunch of clothes together become a brilliant idea? Common sense."

Knots, double-knots, triple-knots were made as their own creation of a 'rope' came to life. When it seemed long enough for them to at least jump down safely, Luciano turned to tie it around the leg of the bed.

Elsa stopped him, "NONO…no don't tie it there."

He looked at her.

"Bad experience, I nearly died, " she replied. Luciano opened his mouth to ask, she stopped him again, "Dino saved me, long story…tie it to the door knob."

"Well that makes it safer."

"Then, since your heavier I'll stay up here and help pull it while you head down."

"And if you fall?"

"I'm relying on you to catch me," she grinned, knotting a pair of pants around the doorknob and tugging it to be sure it was secure.

They threw the long bundle outside the window. Carefully wrapping it around his waist, Luciano was lowered down the side of the wall. Elsa had no idea he was this heavy, her hands were turning white from loss of blood circulation. It only took a few leaps back and forth for him to reach the ground, so Elsa had to make it quick and get herself down fast as well. Some of the clothes had been torn by Luciano's more…buff…figure, but nevertheless, with shaky hands and legs, and nerves like rubber, she snuck over the windowsill and gave one last tug before lowering herself to the ground. She didn't fall like Luciano predicted, and she safely touched ground level. A sigh of relief came after that, but that relief was cut short by the sudden banging on the door above. They made a run for it into the forest, and drizzle of bullets came after them. They ran faster.

"Split up Elsa! To the right!" Luciano yelled.

"Where would we meet?" Elsa yelled back, "This forest is freakin' huge!"

"Just somehow, find a way back to the Cavallone headquarters!"

"That can take days? And Boss is out of the country!"

"Better than getting caught and killed now, go!"

"THIS IS CERTAIN DEATH GAH, I DON'T EVEN HAVE ENOUGH CASH ON ME FOR A CAB!"

With further ado, they split into opposite directions. And the last Elsa heard of Luciano was his heavy panting and the stomping of his big feet fading away, and the sound of his rifle rattling on his back.

Helicopters hovered above her, searching far and wide for the two runaways. Elsa hid inside a bundle of bushes; leaves and twigs tucked into her hair, she'd even gotten a new set of scratches on her right cheek from all the branches she had been charging through. The blood from the head wound had dried, but she was beginning to feel throbbing pains. By the time all this was over, and she had successfully escaped (hopefully), she would be covered from head to toe with bruises and cuts. If she was lucky enough, she could pass as a hobo and it could help her beg her way home, or at least find a place to stay for the meantime. Although maybe that would be degrading to her mafia family.

She decided to make herself comfortable, and waited for the flapping propellers to disappear. Around the area she could hear Vongola Mafioso searching high and low for her. They were more persistent than she thought, why was it _that _important to find her and Luciano? They were genuine members of the Cavallone family, and they hadn't done a single thing to offend the Vongola. She was exhausted, and upon waiting, was on the verge of falling asleep right in the middle of these bushes. That was, if she didn't hear a woman's voice, and a pair of hands shake her vigorously.

"Hey, get up, follow me."

"Huh…?" Elsa peeked up. A woman, with blonde levelled hair, tied in a bun, and thick-rimmed glasses looked down at her. A gun was tucked at her waist, and almost immediately Elsa took hold of her rifle and pointed it up at her, "Get away, I'm part of the Cavallone, you have no right to treat your allies like this!"

The woman put a finger on the tip of Elsa's rifle, "Calm down, I'm not an enemy. My name is Oregano and I'm part of the CEDEF."

"Holy…the real deal?"

"Follow me, quick."

Elsa didn't budge. She took time to comprehend her current situation, if this herb woman was lying, she could very well be walking straight into a trap, and that would be the death of her. And again, if it really was the CEDEF wouldn't they suspect her of being on the opposing side? Voices of the Vongola men were closing in, which left her no option but to follow Oregano in a rush, and together they made a run for it towards the north-east of the forest.

"Where are we going?" Elsa cried, panting.

"To the CEDEF hideout, it's a few miles away from this area but we'll only be walking on foot until we reach the main road," replied Oregano, "keep running, my partner is luring them to the opposite direction, we'll talk more later."

Their pace didn't slow, and Elsa was beginning to feel the toll from running around the Vongola headquarters kick in; now more than exhausted, she was having trouble keeping her eyes open again. She slapped herself a few times to keep herself from dozing off and running into a tree, and maybe being left behind to die. It felt like a blood country marathon, but worse, because she had never run a marathon in her life, and thus her heart felt like it was about to explode. She was sweating buckets, the forest seem to go on forever, and she was disinclined to chuck her rifle away but if she did then um…defenseless girl running with a stranger anyone? And if she didn't have such a strong attachment to suits she would have stripped off her clothes by now, but thinking back to what she had done to a whole closet of Mafioso suits it just wasn't worth it. At one point, her pace became sluggish, and she almost lost sight of Oregano's blonde hair. Her throat felt tight and rough, she swore in her head the minute she got a hold of clean water she would bath in it, if not…a glass of urine seemed tempting. Despite her losing consciousness, desperation pushed her to pick it up; she had reached her limit and was unaware of her surroundings while running now. Finally, when they'd reached the road, where a hummer and tall man was waiting, her legs gave in and she collapsed to the ground and fell into deep sleep from fatigue.

xxxx

Things weren't much better over in Japan, Namimori. Dino's arrival had only been met with immediate combat with the Varia, to a private medical centre where a petite, brunette boy covered in bandages, lay unconscious, rested on a bed. He was a CEDEF member known as Basil used as a decoy for the safe delivery of the infamous Vongola rings, which had been sent to the Cavallone Boss himself.

Tsuna had just left in a denying fit, which left Dino and his former tutor to discuss _gravely_ about the uncertainty of the near future.

"Things are getting pretty serious," said Dino.

"We can only rely on Iemitsu's decision now," Reborn tilted his hat.

It went silent.

"Then I get to meet my student," Dino chuckled in attempt to lift the mood, but Reborn didn't respond to this remark with equal humour.

"What's new with the Cadavere family?"

"Not good, they clearly hate us. We told them it was a mistake, but they insist we stole their family heirlooms out of resentment. Then we tried to negotiate with them, but no matter what they refuse to listen."

"Sounds like something they'd do. How's Elsa?"

From the corner of the room, Romario flinched. He had not told his Boss of the sudden call Elsa and Luciano had given him, and had no knowledge whatsoever of their current status or whether the CEDEF had saved them as Boss had planned. Yes, the minute Miss Luca had hung up on Dino, he demanded urgent help from the affirmative side to save his subordinates – the CEDEF agreed to it immediately. In Romario's eyes, his Boss was a tad more troubled than he usually would be, and he assumed it was for a good reason…Elsa de Luca perhaps?

Dino paled a bit, "I'm not sure…" and said nothing after that. He was fingering his phone, as if waiting desperately for a call.

"Sawada Iemitsu's companions are dependable, and the Varia wouldn't dare to insult their allies."

"I'm more worried about what Elsa might do. She's pretty good at getting herself into a life or death situation…even if Luciano is there. I'm still worried."

Reborn didn't reply to this, he wasn't going to even attempt to console his former student any further. It was Dino who opened the gate for Elsa and brought her into the mafia, and it would be up to him to keep her safe. Never did the Cavallone before bite his nails so much for a subordinate as to have to angst to Reborn about it. His train of thought was suddenly interrupted by the ring of Dino's phone, in which his answer was immediate.

He held it to his ear, "Hello?"

"Cavallone Tenth this is Oregano from the CEDEF, we think we have your first subordinate with us, but to be sure we need your confirmation."

"Go on."

"We identify her as a seventeen year old female with blue eyes and brown hair, of lean build and moderate height."

Dino's spirits were lifted substantially, he cried in reply, "Yes, that's her, Elsa de Luca!"

"Her partner, and your subordinate, Luciano Falcone has just left the site to report back to the Cavallone headquarters, we'll keep her with us until things are safer."

"That's fine, thank you," He paused, "Can…can I talk to her?"

"She's currently sleeping from fatigue, but I'll tell her to contact you once she's awake."

He sighed, so relieved that Elsa was in good hands, "Yeah, thanks," and let the phone hang with a much looser heart than before. Damn, he was going to have a heart attack because of her.

Reborn looked intriguingly at his former student. Had he not declared he was going out with Yano Watase, Reborn would actually believe he was possibly falling deeply in love with his ex-fiancée right at this very moment. Or maybe it had started earlier? Well, it was not in the Arcabaleno's nature to dwell on such unnecessary things. It was none of his business anymore.

xxxx

Elsa woke up from a strange dream. She usually never remembered her dreams, but this one was particularly vivid. Well, what happened was she was working as a waitress in a cafe, and not surprisingly Dino was the owner. Although Yano wasn't present in the dream, it didn't help that six other rabid blonde, smot Italian fans were constantly all over him during working hours. The routine was that Elsa would be doing all the work, and Dino would be cooped up at the back flirting with some girl, which was oddly enough not a trait in his personality. She never spoke to him, and only ever made eye contact with him scarcely, usually to get her wages. From this point onwards, Elsa expected the dream to end like some romantic love story where Dino would begin to find interest in her and they'd end up becoming the town's most intimate couple, but obviously that wasn't the case…obviously….sadly.

But it wasn't all bad…it was just strange. Because on one morning, a customer with a striking resemblance to Dino himself sat down at a window table. He was smot alright, girls were swooning over him, but the real Dino had them occupied. Upon handing him a menu, Elsa could not help but notice his features were too damn similar to her womanizing boss, it was almost scary, he was like an older version of Dino. Slight differences made little change in their resemblance to one another, the man's structure was more refined and mature, he was taller, and his hair was well…the only word she could pull out was 'stylish'. It was thinner, undulating and pushed behind his ear on one side, but the shade was still EXACTLY the same as Dino's blonde mop, and his eyes well...still held that warm, welcoming brown. For a second there Elsa thought it was his long lost brother or something, but then she remembered if that were the case she would have been told by now, there was no benefit in keeping such a secret from her. When she asked for his order, his reply sent a mysterious shiver down her spine. It was raspy, sexy, only half a note deeper than the Cavallone Boss's. The very word he said was 'cappuccino', and as she coloured a shade of pink and turned to make his order (which she predicted would have ended in disaster and a burned-down cafe as a result of being unable to concentrate) she felt his debonair eyes stare at her from behind, while she stood in her tomboyish uniform with her hair pinned up. She froze. She could hear him push his chair back and stand up, reaching from behind her then slipping his hands around her waist, drawing her in. She could faintly hear him whispering 'I've missed you'. And heck, she could hardly breath, it was getting hot in there, and this was only a dream too. But unfortunately from then on, as she turned around she faced a stern looking Romario…which ultimately turned the whole dream into a nightmare…now that she thought about it.

Back to reality, Elsa looked at her surroundings, was she already at the CEDEF headquarters? And how long had she been asleep? The room was quite plain, but spacious. The walls and bed sheets were all white, and the floor was tiled a marbly black. There was a vase of artificial flowers on a small wooden table at the bedside, but other than that the lack of domestic ornaments was clear. Elsa sat up, her head throbbed a bit, she remembered she'd hit it while being swung around by Luciano, she felt tight bandaging around her forehead and a few bandaids on her cheeks. She then looked down and saw that she had been changed into a cotton sleeping gown. At this she blushed, and before she had the chance to get up and search for her clothes, the door was opened and the woman named Oregano appeared with a tray of food and water in her hands.

"You're up," she smiled, closing the door behind her and putting the tray on a table nearby.

"Uh…yeah…how long have I been asleep?" Elsa asked.

"About three days, you must have gone through a lot to get that exhausted."

Elsa thought about her experience back at the Vongola headquarters, there would be no going there without Dino after that. She asked, "Does Di—uhh I mean my Boss know I'm here?"

"Yes, he asked for you to call him as soon as possible. I've left your phone beside you, it's been charged."

"Uh…thanks," Elsa took it from the side table and checked through it. She looked in astonishment.

Thirty-one missed calls from Luciano, fifty-one from an unknown caller and two modest ones from...Dino? Elsa thought, _guess Dino couldn't wait._

"Your companion reached the Cavallone headquarters two days ago."

"Oh, Luciano…that's good. Guess I'm the only one weak enough to need three days worth of rest after only one escape plan haha…"

Oregano only smiled at this, she tapped her glasses once, "I'm going to have to leave you here for now, eat the food on the table and rest more. I'll update you on the current situation for the Vongola and the Cavallone family later."

"Alright."

And with that, Oregano left. Elsa thought now was the best time to call Dino, but before she could, her phone began ringing, and the first thing that popped up was a bunch of random numbers unfamiliar to her, and above that 'unknown caller'. She picked up, "Hello?"

"Elsa…Elsa de Luca is that you?" a voice all too familiar spoke in Japanese.

The phone fumbled in Elsa's hands as she jumped in surprise, what the hell did _THIS _person of all people want calling her in the middle of a crisis?


	32. Phone Calls

_Disclaimer – Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. _

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

_

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**Chapter 32**

**Phone Calls  
**

"Antonio? ANTONIO?" she cried in disbelief.

The man's voice wavered over the phone, "Now now…Elsa dear don't be so distant. I've been worried about you, you just disappeared like that."

Elsa didn't know what to say. She was speechless, gobsmacked…stunned to the point her body had become completely numb. Of all people, since the day she left her hometown, this old geezer decided to call her after God knows how many years of being absent in her life, and what surprised her just as much was how on earth did he get her number? What was she supposed to say to him? She really hoped he wasn't calling to ask her to go back to that damn forsaken house – not like he ever stayed in it for more than two hours.

"Are you there Elsa? Hello? HEY I'm using a public telephone, daddy doesn't have enough money…"

"What the hell do you want?" she blurted, "my life is too occupied with more important things."

She heard a croaky chuckle, then a gagging cough. He obviously never stopped drinking and smoking. Her father sighed, "Man, your manners are as bad as usual."

Elsa cringed_. _

"Look, Elsie—"

"It's Elsa," she corrected.

"I can call you whatever I want you little twit! Now listen, I heard from your mother you landed in some big-shot mafia family."

"So what if I have?"

"What do you mean so what if you have? Have some sympathy for your own loving father and bring him some cash!"

_Loving? LOVING? _Elsa and her father, they were so similar yet so distant. He'd impregnated Elsa's mother at the age of 14 (himself being 15) and ruined their relationship (and lives) from that day onwards. They could've had a good future together if they went on with highschool, graduated, got married and then had a child, but their raging hormones gave way for an early break-down that most couples would have during a mid-life crisis. Elsa's parents were never married, so she took the last name of the one that took care of her, her mother, who hardly cared for her anyway, although still better than her father – she didn't even know what his last name was, something to do with chickpeas.

"I have two words for you…FATHER," Elsa said spitefully, "Eat shit." She hung up on him and threw the phone across the bed. It had been almost half a year since she was home and yet only _now _he realized she'd been missing. _Feh, asshole never changes. _

Then the phone rang again. She picked it up with aggravation and yelled, "Yo pea-brain! I'm not giving you any money so get—"

"What did you just call me? Ugh you finally answer the phone and the first thing I hear come out of your blabber mouth is an insult!" she was scolded by another familiar voice.

Elsa froze, "Oh. Who's this?"

"Your best friend, Yano."

Man, was Elsa getting calls from the most unexpected people today, and she only just woke up from the longest sleep in her life. She sighed, "What do _you _want? I can't believe Dino gave you my number."

"Actually, I found it myself. I've been calling you for the past few days, why don't you ever pick up the phone?"

"Well _sorry _I was knocked-out after running from over sixty armed Mafiosi," Elsa wondered what could this girl possibly want with her after sabotaging the relationship between her and Dino. Yano had the man to herself, there was nothing more Elsa could offer. Unless she was that desperate to brag about it.

"Knocked-out? Hah. Not surprised."

Elsa hovered a finger on the red button and said with half-lidded eyes, "I'm going to hang up now."

"Wait!" Yano yelled through the phone, "I take it back! Just hear me out."

Wow, this was a first. Elsa snuggled on a pillow, this was going to be a long, interesting conversation. That was fine, she had time to kill, "I'm listening."

Yano took a few moments before declaring, "You can have him back, I'll stay out of your lives from now on…"

"Haha you finally…WHAT?" Elsa squawked, jumping to her feet and unintentionally ramming her head against the ceiling. She dropped to her knees and rolled around the bed with an excruciating, throbbing pain. She'd just worsened her head wound from three days ago, great. She swiped the phone off the bed sheets, "Ow…ow…could you please repeat what you just said?"

Yano groaned, "I said Dino's yours, take him, I'll break it off."

"I…I don't think I'm catching on to what you're trying to say…"

"Look, I made a mistake. I can't be with him, so I'm giving him back to you."

Elsa chuckled uneasily, "Hahaha…please, who am I _really _talking to?"

Yano was losing patience, she didn't think Elsa was _that _brainless. She supposed the truth would help, but the truth was not exactly a good thing in this case, but things would get nowhere if she didn't say it now. She told Elsa to listen carefully and went on to explain the true nature and intentions of Yano Watase, "I've been obsessed with him lately…I can't believe I just said that. It was a harmless thing at first, I like to play men, especially rich and irresistible ones. I'm fake, I don't have morals, I date more than one man at a time, and I never marry. I also can't stand it when a man looks at another girl over me, I steal boyfriends and husbands, I've been doing this for years (since high school actually), and it's not because I've had a bad experience or anything…it's because I hate men, and for no particular reason at all. I enjoy the attention and intimacy, and it brings me pleasure to see their hearts break into tiny little pieces when I dump them after ruining their lives. Elsa, I'm a mercenary and a whore and it is against my policy—"

"…to develop feelings for a man," Elsa finished.

Yano sighed, "I was a little jealous of you, but I was more annoyed that Dino was putting up an act the whole time, that's why I was always losing my composure. I was being used by _him _rather than—"

"…you using him—wait what?"

"What?"

"What do you mean he putting on an act?" Elsa blinked infinitely.

"He never loved me in the first place, duh. He was faking the whole thing."

_Hold on WHAT? _Elsa thought. Why on mafialand would prestigious Dino want to pretend he was head over heels for Yano? This was news to her, his infatuation with Yano always looked so sincere and promising.

"Our whole relationship was a fraud, and I suppose that's why I fell for him…Ironic. Elsa de Luca, I've lost to you, a plain dunce with no hope in becoming as gorgeous as me," said Yano in the haughtiest manner, but Elsa was unfazed by this, she was more interested in this new discovery, she was speechless. Yano noticed the silence coming from the other end of the line, "I don't know why Dino decided to do this, but I'm going to end it after this phone call. It'll be troublesome if I get too attached to him…but Elsa I think you should dig deeper and give you and his relationship another chance…not that it's any of my business."

"NO," Elsa said suddenly, she went on to yell, "I don't get any of this, but even if things are ending between the two of you I'm not running back to him. On the day I agreed to be his lapdog was the day I said I would never get in between the two of you ever again and I _promised_ Dino I'd drop all feelings I had for him!"

"Now hold on…I'm sure he'll…"

"He won't, even if he really did lie about liking you, that's proof enough he didn't want me liking him…"

Yano snapped, "You're an idiot! What happened to that irritating girl that kept getting in the way of my plans? You're a wimp! All talk and nothing, you gave up on him before you even started trying!"

"I didn't give up on him, he gave up on me."

"Ugh you're so difficult…and sentimental…you're making me sick." Yano grumbled, she tried again, "Listen. Dino is a good man, the reason I rejected him years back was because I felt he was too…pure to be cheated on. But I know, he's a good catch for any woman, and you were lucky to have been able to be _engaged _with him and now…thanks to me…a beloved subordinate. If he tried to push you away, it would be for a good reason."

"I thought you said it was none of your business."

Another sigh, "There's guilt after knowing empathy."

Elsa frowned, "Don't. I've actually wanted to thank you for the way things have turned out, I might have lingering feelings for him but in the end I'll never gaze at him in that way again. I think you should go now, don't bother wasting your time on me."

"Suit yourself."

Yano left it at that and hung up on the baffled girl. Elsa's head whirled with thoughts and emotions, one thing after another…she was going to lose it soon, and she'd just sustained a new head injury from hitting her head against the ceiling. Something about Dino being desperate to get rid of Elsa. Yes, that was probably it. Dino had intentionally got with Yano because he was so horrified that a useless girl like herself had fallen for him, and even if they did wed in the end, Dino would have many mistresses lined up to quench his lust. He wouldn't be intimate with Elsa even if it cost his life. Ah, what did it matter? She was now a Mafioso working for him, but what if it was his intention to kick her out of his family as soon as she reached her full use? She'd have to work harder and get around this mess, there was no way she was going to let him throw her out. Just when she was getting the hang of this mafia business.

_What's this? _She thought, _I'm getting paranoid. Nothing is going to change Elsa, so what if Yano and Dino have broken up, that's their business. I've got my own life._ _Let's just forget that phone call, pretend it never happened and get on with life._

Elsa got changed and ate her cold breakfast. She left her room and decided to dawdle around. The corridor was especially spacious with metal walls and automated doors. There were key swipes here and there and the faint feeling of surveillance followed her everywhere she went. It was her first time in a mafia hideout, the security was tighter than she thought…such a shame she lost the handgun Dino gave her, she had good memories with that thing while training. Her loitering led her to a dim control room with only the murmuring of mechanisms to fill the air with sound. Curiously (as usual) she went in, and at the very front was a vast number of monitors with buttons and control panels she dared not to touch. She went ahead and took a peek on the screens, some were blank and some were observing the people in the building, none who were familiar to Elsa. She sat in one of the chairs and watched attentively.

**xxxx**

"They've been at it for three days straight…" said Romario.

"Your Boss seems to be worried about something," said Kusakabe.

"You noticed? He's still waiting for a call from one of my subordinates, she's supposedly recovering from her injuries."

"Ho," Kusakabe smirked, "His girl?"

"_Was_…not exactly. They were in a sort of trial engagement, then it became a love triangle and now they've broken it off and she's become a Mafioso for the family." Long story short, that was Romario's way of putting things. "He's with someone else now, but my instincts tell me he's only playing along, it's written all over his face who he _really _cares for."

"Sounds complicated." Kusakabe pulled a can open.

"I'm in charge of his phone for now."

"Why does he hide it from her?"

"Who knows, not even I can figure him out." That was when Dino's phone rang, and he turned around to answer it as quickly as possible to avoid distracting his Boss. The voice that spoke did not belong to Elsa, but it was Oregano informing him she had finally woken up. This would be good news for Dino after the training session ended, he'd finally be able to sleep soundly. Just as he hung up, the phone rang for a second time, and after months of not even calling once, Yano asked to speak with the Italian. Romario replied he was busy, and offered to leave him a message for her.

"Yes, tell him I'm breaking up with him, and tell him don't bother calling back because I won't answer. Thanks Romario, nice knowing you." The conversation ended just like that, and the poor man was too shocked to say anything.

"Was it her?" Kusakabe asked.

"No, the other girl. She broke it off."

From the distance, a bruised and battered Dino swung his whip stealthily at the boy before him. The attack was dodged and a tonfa jabbed straight into his ribcage, this was the second time he'd made a careless mistake, and Kyoya Hibari was beginning to get frustrated at him. If he wasn't going to focus on avoiding getting bitten to death, then the head prefect sure wasn't going to waste his time any longer.

**xxxx**

"What happened Boss?" Romario asked, walking alongside him on their way back to the hotel.

Dino sighed, wiping the dried blood from his face with a wet towel. Things were on his mind. "I don't know, I couldn't concentrate."

"Oregano from the CEDEF called. Elsa's finally awake," Romario said.

"Really? Is she alright?" he cried, feeling that a tonne of bricks had just been taken off his chest.

"Yes, she has almost fully recovered," Romario was proud to say, "But you got another call, from Yano."

"Eh?" he sounded surprised.

"Boss, she says she wants to end the relationship."

"Did she say why?" now he _didn't _sound surprised.

"No, she said not to call back but I think—"

"Oh well, that's the end of that," Dino laughed as if none of it mattered. They entered the elevator, and as the doors began to close a woman dove into the gap. Dino stopped the doors before she could hurt herself, she got in safely and thanked him several times. When she looked up, immediately her heart fluttered and she stood stiffly beside him while the metal block took them up the building. On the other hand, Romario was whole-heartedly ignored, but he was used to this. When they'd reached their level, the woman had slipped her number into Dino's pocket, he just smiled at her and left.

"Doesn't it bother you at all?" Romario asked, resuming their conversation.

"It would have…years back, but to tell you the truth I've lost all feelings for her." They walked down the elongated corridor.

"Then why did you leave Miss Luca for her? If I'm right, it's completely written all over you face that you're in love with Miss Luca."

Dino stopped in his tracks and smiled sheepishly as his right-hand man, "That's a strong word Romario. I'm fond of her, but I don't think love is the right word."

Romario really wished to correct that and tell him he was just denying unconscious feelings, but maybe it was best if he figured it out himself. Anyway, he hadn't answered the question, if he was so _fond _of her why push the girl away when you had a great chance from day one?

"If I led Elsa on anymore, bad things would happen to her and I don't want that. Not when I care for her this much."


	33. His Stupidity

_Disclaimer – Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. _

Don't fret guys, I'm not dead…yet. This is the last year ever of major exams, so I will be updating less frequently. Have faith in me, sorry for this short chapter and late update.

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

_

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**Chapter 33**

**His Stupidity**

Elsa was bored to death. She wondered if Oregano was looking for her, she looked on the screens for any signs of the four-eyed woman. She spotted her coming towards the control room so she stood up and went outside to greet her.

"Hey."

Oregano looked surprised, "Oh, so this is where you were. You haven't fully recovered yet."

"I'm fine. I just needed a walk," from all the shock.

"You'd be doing your Boss a favour by resting, I called to tell him you're awake, I didn't know if you'd already done so yourself but apparently you hadn't."

"Oh, I forgot!" Before Elsa could run off, Oregano stopped her.

"Here, I took the liberty of taking this for you. Things aren't safe at the moment, so I suggest you keep anything important with you at all times. The Vongola guardians have been chosen and are currently undergoing training, your Boss is acting as a tutor as a request from my own Boss."

Dino as a teacher – sweet – wonder which lucky bastard got him?

"On the other hand, I don't know too much about the Cavallone and Cadavere situation. You'll have to rely on one of your subordinates for that."

"Wait…what situation? Are we at war with another mafia family?" Elsa did not want to hear anymore mind-blowing news, best if she let it sink in naturally, "Actually, never mind, don't tell me." She asked Oregano to give her a moment alone with her Boss on the phone, Oregano agreed and told her she'd wait outside until Elsa was done. But just as Elsa made the call, the most unexpected thing happened: she became nervous. That's right, she was getting hundreds of butterflies in her stomach. _W-What's going on? _She panicked. Her face had become a hot plate, just the thought of hearing _his _voice was scaring her. It wasn't like this was the first time they'd talked on the phone, so why was her heart thumping and her cheeks flushing like a highschooler?

He picked up.

"Hello?"

It has been three days since this gentle, youthful, suave, genial sound could reach her ears. Her mind had just undergone a nuclear explosion.

"Who is this?"

Elsa sighed, he had such an alluring voice...ack! What was she thinking? She had to say something already! Elsa's mouth gaped open, but nothing came out.

"Yo. Anyone there?"

She tried again, barely letting out a grunt. _Shit, _she thought_, why can't I say anything? _She tried again and again to get even one single word into the phone line, but it was like her vocal chords had been ripped apart. She knew Dino had every intention to hang up any minute now.

"Who is it Boss?" Elsa heard Romario in the background.

"No one seems to be responding, and the number is on private."

"A prank call?"

_No! No it's me! Speak up dammit! Why's wrong with me?" _Elsa was grinding her teeth with agitation. What was stopping her? She mustered all the air in her lungs to thrust even a single word out of her mouth, the bulge of sound crammed in the middle of her throat like a lump of mucus. She forced it out once more with all her might and finally cried, "BOSS!"

Unfortunately for her, Dino had already hung up and the only response she got in return was the repeated beeping of the call tone. To calm down, she reminded herself that she could call as many times as she wanted and it wasn't the end of the world. So _calmly _she set the cell phone number off private and called Dino again. She waited. The voicemail picked up and she yelled out in irritation. She tried calling Romario but for some COINCIDENTAL REASON his phone was on voicemail as well. This was probably the most frustrating moment of her life, it was like fate was doing all he could to separate them (not that she minded) but you know…she had to communicate with her own Boss somehow and sometime. _"Excuses,"_ a part of her said, but she ignored it before she could question what her subconscious meant. She left the control room and saw Oregano waiting against the wall. Judging by Elsa's expression, the reunion didn't go too well.

She shrugged, "It's off…I can't get in contact with him. Nevermind me, I need more answers. Why is the Vongola Ninth changing his mind about Sawada?"

"We don't know, and the Ninth refuses to meet any of us. We're trying to find a way to infiltrate the Vongola headquarters peacefully, our Boss will be back soon for the plan to undergo. The Varia are making things especially difficult for us, any time soon we could be ambushed by them."

"Eh….the Varia? Vongola assassination squad?"

"Yes, the leader of Varia is the opposing candidate for the Vongola Tenth position, his name is Xanxus, son of the Vongola Ninth Timeteo."

"I—I think I get it, and the new generation of guardians have been chosen…how exciting!"

Oregano looked curiously at Elsa, "You seem to know a lot about the Vongola, I heard you've only been in the Cavallone for three and a half months."

"Erm…kind of." Elsa wondered if she should mention that most of her time was as a no-good potential wife – maybe not a good idea.

**xxxx**

"Hold on…wait…that….Boss are you serious?" Romario looked astounded. He was having a lot of difficultly digesting everything Dino had told him. From this to that, that to this, and here he had an entirely different idea of the whole situation. "I thought you were avoiding Miss Luca out of consideration of her well-being…"

Dino chuckled, that was to be expected, "I'd never keep Elsa away for such a minute reason. If that were true, I might as well be single man for the rest of my life."

"She doesn't look like she's been through anything like that."

"That's what I thought. When I saw that ring she had, I became curious."

"And what of it?"

"I haven't mentioned it yet and I don't plan to."

The Italian had given Romario a recount of Elsa de Luca's entire past, it was the sole reason Dino did not want to have any further relationship with her; he hadn't told a soul until now. Some months back, he had discreetly asked an information broker to investigate with his fullest potential on Elsa's background and medical history. The file which he had received, read, and kept from that time until now, lingered in his mind for every moment he was with Elsa, and every time he was away from her. What he read on that very day left him feeling hopeless, he regretted not knowing earlier, and for dragging her into the mess of crashing into a one-sided love. If only he'd known earlier she was subject to such misogyny-like treatment, he would have avoided her at all costs – or at least bring her into his family a different way. He wouldn't have minded returning her feelings, in fact, he had every intention of blooming affection between them had it not been for the dramatic revelation.

"It's too bad, but, would that girl really have the reaction you'd expect? There's still a chance she knows it all and—"

"I'm not going to take that risk. What if she doesn't remember? I don't want to be responsible for anything that happens to her," the melodrama in Dino's speech was so shocking to Romario, but what shocked him even more was his Boss's indifference and his STUPID BRAINLESS HEAD. Dino was practically admitting he wanted the girl for himself, it seemed rather selfish for him to think he was the only one capable of hurting her, but it clearly showed Elsa was now the center of his life. It was amazing how he could still deny his feelings. Yes, Romario admitted her life had been no greater than a homeless mutt, but seeing a person as strong-minded and vigorous as her, he was sure she knew and had gotten over it all, and his intuitions were usually right.

Romario had to put an end to these misconceptions, "But in the end, she'll still meet someone else that could potentially open her past, and even if she doesn't, do you intend to leave her a single, lonely girl, without anyone for the rest of her life?"

Dino hadn't thought about that, maybe it was because he never thought to discuss it with anyone. Romario was right, even if _he _backed away from her, not everyone was so considerate. And even if there was no one to open the wound, her life wouldn't be any better as a lonely maiden chained to serve the Cavallone family until old and frail. Dino slammed himself for being so dense in the head, did he honestly think just him alone, avoiding her, would save her in any way? Now that he thought about it in her perspective, she was probably in more agony from his rejecting her…

"I can't believe…" he bit his lip anxiously. The towel he had been drying his hair with hung loosely on his head. It was hard to believe, he had caused so much unintentional pain for someone he intended to help.

"Poor Miss Luca. Even after all the things that happened to her, she still chose to be by your side, Boss. It seems that…there's more to her than we think," Romario upped the fuel a bit, in hopes his superior would stop being such an angsty baby and start courting like a real man.

"I…what have I done…?" Dino buried his face in his hands.

"I think it'd be very wise for you to have a long, meaningful talk with Miss Luca once we get back, don't you think?" Romario pushed on.

"I need to call her now!" Dino shot off the couch, he switched on his phone, and the first thing that popped up was a missed called from Elsa de Luca. He rang, impatiently waiting for her to pick up. It rang and rang and rang. It rang for a few more second until the voice mail answered. Dino tried a few more times, but there was no reply from Elsa.

"Oh dear, looks like she's tried to call me as well," Romario grimaced regretfully. He knew it was a bad idea to turn it off.

**xxxx**

"THE HIDEOUT HAS BEEN INFILTRATED. ATTENTION. THE HIDEOUT HAS BEEN INFILTRATED."

Elsa fumbled out the door with her suit in a rugged, torn mess. She coughed and took it off, pulling it over her head. Rubble rebounded from the ground and tore across her face as she ran to the others. They escorted her out the exit, leaving behind the chaos between Varia and CEDEF.


	34. To Her Dismay

_Disclaimer – Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. _

Some dialogue taken from chapter 106. I hate school...

Oh yeah I don't think this story is going to last for much longer. But hey, bright side is that I might be working on D18's instead. No?

Pray for Japan.

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

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**Chapter 34**

**To Her Dismay**

Elsa was hiding in the boot of the car. Thankfully she wasn't claustrophobic, but it was seriously uncomfortable lying in a foetal position with weapons clustered around her and a black sheet to cover the lot. The invasion had gone on for about two days before everyone decided to abandon the base. The CEDEF was doing all they could to protect her as a favour for her boss, which left her once again feeling useless. She had her phone beside her like a security blanket, just in case Dino decided to call back. And when he did, she would confide with him all her problems and scares she'd been holing up. That was how much she missed him. She sighed, she was relying on him way too much. She should be in Japan supporting her Boss right now, or at least back at the Cavallone mansion, why did she have to be protected by the CEDEF? Blah.

The engine halted. Elsa could hear voices from outside, the boot was opened and one of the CEDEF members by the name of Turmeric unveiled the sheet and helped her out. She dusted her pants and stowed her phone in her pocket. When she took a good look at the car, she was surprised to see bullet holes drizzled around the roof, one of the windows were smashed. Had she been in a coma for a week or something? When did all this happen? she hadn't noticed at all.

"What on earth has been going on?" Elsa asked.

"The Varia chased us most of the road trip, we had to take a few detours. I'm sorry you had to stay in such an uncomfortable position for so long," replied Turmeric, "You must be dizzy."

"A little light-headed, but I'm alright, I wasn't asleep the entire time," Elsa then mumbled to herself about how stuffy it was. Honestly she'd only been awake a few times to stretch, and there was hardly enough room to stretch at all. "How are things right now?"

Oregano joined them, she shook her head, "Not good. We've lost our base."

No, that's not what Elsa meant. Losing the base was obvious, what she really wanted to know was whether Dino was alright, she needed some peace in mind about him. Was this what you called OCD?

Oregano handed her an apple, and urged her to eat. Elsa took a bite out of it, but really didn't have the appetite to be eating right now.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"Outside the Vongola headquarters."

Elsa dropped her apple, "And why are we at the place where our chances of being shot in the head are ninety nine point nine percent?"

Oregano lifted a finger against her mouth and told her to hush down, "They'll hear you…"

She shoved a rifle in Elsa's hands and grabbed her wrist. The others split into different directions and Elsa was dragged along by Oregano. For some time they hid within the bushes, watching the Vongola henchmen circling the area like hawks. Elsa felt disgusting, she smelt like crap and still had gun powder and cement residue stuck in her hair from the fight back at the hideout. If Dino saw her like this what would he say?

_Sigh. I've been thinking about him way too much lately. _

Oregano gave the signal to move, and Elsa clung onto her. They snuck closer to the headquarters, in the near distance, Elsa saw a man with striking blond hair, standing out in the open.

"He's here…" Oregano mumbled, she came out from behind the bushes.

Elsa stumbled behind, "H-Hey wait!"

"Boss!" Oregano called, the man turned around, revealing a rough, stern, middle-aged man. There was an air about him that seemed to familiar to Elsa…and for some reason the words 'No-good' popped into her mind.

"Oregano…" he said.

"The Varia have discovered our hideout."

"I see. Well, it was bound to happen."

"We all escaped. The others are coming…Boss, are you going ahead with it?"

"Yes," the stoic expression on his face gave Elsa the shivers, mafia higher ups were just too cool for her. "We're going to march into Vongola headquarters and find out what's going on with the Boss. At worst we will confirm…" his voice went grave, "whether or not he is alive or dead."

Elsa butt in, "Is the Vongola going to be alright? Mister…err…"

"Iemitsu. Iemitsu Sawada. You must be Elsa de Luca from the Cavallone family."

"Y-Yes hahaha…" she laughed awkwardly, she still wasn't used to being constantly related to such a prestigious family. Elsa noticed his last name, "Sawada? Are you…perhaps…"

"Oh you know Tsuna? Did Dino introduce him to you? He's my son! He's in the midst of fighting the Varia right now."

"Hah? With who?"

"The new Vongola guardians, especially chosen by myself," Iemitsu was proud to say, "The Vongola storm guardian just won his battle yesterday, today it's the Rain guardian's battle."

Elsa let herself gape in shock. She was sure the only 'guardians' Tsuna could recruit were his middle school friends that she had met once or twice. Middle Schoolers couldn't possibly stand against the Varia? Nah, Tsuna must've miraculously found some bad-ass connections.

Oregano coughed, and they both looked at her.

"Right, we'll talk more after business is done here."

**xxxx**

"She just won't pick up!" Dino cried, pacing around the room.

"I'm sure the CEDEF are looking after her fine," Romario smirked. Boy he loved seeing his boss like this. He could already tell, that if Dino didn't hear his precious Miss Luca's voice sooner or later he'll start losing hair. About four times this week his Boss has almost been knocked unconscious by Hibari, simply because his mind was elsewhere in 'Elsa lala land' while sparring. Dino had so much to say to her much so little opportunity – actually, no opportunity at all. Frustration was building up, yet Dino still had to keep his cool while supporting Tsuna and the others, and at the same time, the Cavallone and Cadavere tension was rising to the point both sides were just WAITING for an ambush to happen.

"Yamamoto's fight should be starting soon, should we go Boss?"

Dino sighed, he promised one last call. That didn't bother Romario at all – not at all (smirk). So he tried calling Elsa for the hundredth time. Yet again there was no answer. He snapped his phone shut with irritation, "Damn it…"

What did a man have to do to get a girl to answer her phone? Weren't girls supposed to be phone-a-holics? Obviously Elsa wasn't a girl. This frustration was tampering with his head.

"Hmm…maybe there's some kind of unknown supernatural force keeping the two of you apart?" Romario teased.

"Don't say that!"

Romario reassured him Elsa was fine, he'd been keeping tabs on the CEDEF and there hadn't been any bad news about Elsa yet. Soon she would be out of the chaos and then maybe she'd have the chance to call back.

**xxxx**

"Are you alright by yourself out here?" Oregano asked.

"Yes, I'll do my best," replied Elsa, armed with a new rifle. She had the very important role of taking down any Mafiosi that got in their way while infiltrating the headquarters. With this, if she succeeded, the relations between CEDEF and Cavallone would strengthen, and Dino would acknowledge her. She might as well be of some kind of use. She awkwardly climbed up the tallest tree and struggled to find the perfect branch to sit on. The only time she had ever used a rifle for long distance aiming was during training with dummies, but other than that, she was very inexperienced. Shoot to kill was the motto for snipers in the mafia, Elsa had never killed a person before, she had thought about it a few times, though. Was that really enough?

She got into position and peered through the scope. So far, no sudden assaults on her side. She spotted Oregano advancing towards an assault. Okay, this was her chance. She aimed with precision, her finger tapped on the trigger. Any moment now. Elsa gulped, she couldn't screw this up. They were nearing Oregano. Elsa gulped again. The two fingers wavered in anticipation. They were nearing Oregano. Still too far to shoot. Just wait a little longer.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Elsa fell back. They had taken the assault down before she could even shoot. That was fine, they didn't need her anyway (excuses). Just try again. She leaned forward again and aimed at the next batch of enemies. This time she would really shoot.

_Shoot…just one shot…one shot each man…take them all down Elsa. Take them all down, _she told herself. Tsuna's father was next, he was flying through the corridors. Elsa could barely see him through the tiny window, throwing a grenade before rushing through the carcasses. She moved the scope back to Oregano and Turmeric. An infant had join them, with raging blue hair. Neither Oregano nor Turmeric seemed to be concerned. Elsa wondered if it was an Arcobaleno that had joined them. Well, whatever was the case, she had to help them. This time no hesitation. She looked through the scope again and aimed at for the enemy's head, a bunch of them were hiding behind a corner. Her finger snuck firmly on the trigger, only problem was, it wouldn't budge. A bead of sweat raced down her forehead. Why was this so hard? Why on EARTH was this SO DARN HARD?

"Elsa, it's your job, you're mafia now not a chicken sexer. Mafia don't hesitate when killing. Taking a life away is no big deal, that's just the way things are…just the way things should be…for the sake of the Cavallone family…" she mumbled fretfully to herself. Elsa was on edge, the bullet in her rifle was ready to pounce, but she hadn't the feel nor guts to do it. "Do it on the count of three. Okay. Breathe. Breathe. One…two…" her fingers twitched, her hands began to shake.

…

"I can't do this," Elsa went limp. She let herself fall back against the tree in frustration. Murder, was just too early for her. She wasn't as tough as she thought – darn. Her heart couldn't take the burden of taking a human life. She needed to cool off, her heart was still thumping wildly, she took her cell phone out and flipped it open.

_32 missed calls from Romario_

_162 missed calls from Luciano_

_325 missed calls from Dino_

Elsa's immediate reaction was to call Dino. She thought, If he didn't pick up, she would break the phone he gave her. A few rings was all it took for an answer.

Dino's voice began to seep through, "You—"

Her phone went blank in that instance. Unfortunately, one week without charging was a little too much for the electronic thing to hold on. Life without Dino couldn't get any worse.

**xxxx**

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

"Hello? HELLO? YO? ELSA?" Dino cried.


	35. Eduring a Confession

_Disclaimer – Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. _

I realized some readers from this fanfic decided to read my new TYLHibariXOC and I'd just like to thank you guys!

Happy Easter :)

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

* * *

**Chapter 35**

**Enduring a Confession**

Seriously.

SERIOUSLY.

She was losing her mind. She couldn't shoot even ONE man, she was basically cruising on a tree while Oregano and the rest of them were risking their lives for the sake of the mafia world. Now if these Vongola Mafiosi were chickens, that would be an entirely different story – she could confidently handle any chicken be it cocky or on PMS. But these were real, macho men she was dealing with.

_UGH, what should I do?_

Elsa so wanted to talk to Dino right now, so desperately. Even if he'd yell at her over the phone for being stupid, and even if he'd tell her to quit the mafia straight away.

_DAMNIT, cut this sentimental mumbo jumbo crap! _Elsa peered through the scope and tried once more to—where was everyone?

That was strange. They had all disappeared, there were only Vongola henchman left running around, frantically searching for them. Elsa got down from the tree and looked around.

Silence.

There didn't seem to be anyone around. Should she jump in the fray and help? Nah…she was sure she wasn't needed anyway. Then, what was she supposed to do for the next few hours, or perhaps even days?

_Sleep. _Her conscience told her. _Sleep. _

"I can't do that, what if somebody finds me? What if Oregano needs me?" that was wishful thinking. Oh, wonderful, now she was talking to herself. How could she possibly be a Mafioso with the way she was. Dino was right, she should have just gone home from the very beginning. She should have never grown attached to him, and she should have never even met him. Elsa should have known she could never fit in the mafia, it was just a stupid fantasy! She wanted to go home.

_Sigh. How many times have I told myself the same thing over and over again? I've lost count._

Her body was aching all over, the grazes and cuts were stinging. Her clothes were all torn and bloodied, a wound on her leg was starting to get an infection. This is not how she pictured herself in the mafia, the Vongola Primo made things look so much more appealing. If only she weren't so freaking weak and powerless!

"UGH! Life is shit." she needed a hug.

Elsa began to feel sleepy all of a sudden. Drowsiness hit her like a bullet, she could barely keep her eyes open.

_Tired…so unbelievably tired…_

**xxxx**

Elsa awoke in a hospital bed. Everything seemed blurry around her. It felt like she had been drinking all night – except there was pain.

_Man, the bandages are tight. _She sat up, her body felt cold all over. She was in a hospital gown. Someone had taken her clothes off for her yet _again. _It was probably in her blood to be knocked out all the time. Sigh. What caused it this time? she wondered. She wouldn't be surprised if a tree branch fell on her head, or she tripped and hit her head on a rock.

_Strange. Is someone—_

Elsa looked down.

…..

…

…..

She blinked a few times.

Lying at her bedside was a peacefully sleeping, certain someone, with hair an all too familiar shade of blond. Oh, and he was **holding** _her_ hand.

"Ahahaha I must be dreaming…" she laughed to herself, then shut her eyes real tight, "Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. I should be in the middle of sniping on top of a tree right now. I SHOULD BE BLOODY SNIPING RIGHT NOW!"

"Nn…" the blond stranger began to move, "You finally awake...?" he lifted his head, all dazed with eye bags. His familiar debonair, brown eyes staring straight at her. His handsome face she would never forget for the rest of her life. It was…it was…

"DI-FUCKING-NO?"

She yanked her arm away and scrambled off the bed. Being the idiot she was, her weight left her to fall back and crash-land onto the ground. Elsa lay sprawled across the tiled floor.

"ELSA!" Dino raced to her side, but having none of his men around, tripped on his own two feet and crash-landed right beside her. "Oww…"

"Don't come near me!" Elsa cried, holding her hands out protectively. She backed up against the wall, "I think I'm crazy right now, it must have been a bad concussion. Did someone come up and hit me from behind? Did someone shoot me? DID SOMEONE THROW A ROCK AT ME? Whatever it was, you can't be here right now…y-you're in Japan!"

"Five days ago I was," replied Dino, sitting up, "and actually, you weren't shot, someone gassed you while you were asleep."

"I can't believe this. I've been knocked-out AGAIN for five days straight? IMPOSTER!" Elsa flapped her arms around, warning him to stay away.

"Els, It's me."

"That doesn't prove anything! If you really are my Boss then…erm…who am I?" Elsa squinted with suspicion.

"You're Elsa de Luca, my underling."

"Well DUH I meant before that."

"You really want me to say it?"

"Say what?" she blinked.

"That we were..uhh…"

"We never had anything going. I KNEW IT, YOU'RE AN IMPOSTER!"

"Never had anything going? Els we were _engaged_."

"Eh?"

"Please don't make me spell it out."

Elsa couldn't believe it. He dared to mention the unhappy fling they had not long ago. Actually, it wasn't even a fling, it was months of PAINFUL UNREQUITED LOVE. Such an ungrateful, insensitive ass—

"It really is you," Elsa's eyes widened in mortification. Dino was really right before her eyes, he came back from Japan. But…this was all too sudden. Jeez, after today she would not be taking long naps anymore.

"The Vongola succession has been decided, Tsuna and the others won. The alexandrite gems you had were retrieved and taken by the CEDEF for safekeeping. You were knocked-out by one of the Vongola's men outside their headquarters and would've been killed if it wasn't for Iemitsu and his subordinates. They had you under intensive care at the Vongola medical center, but since I came back yesterday I had you moved back to our headquarters. I've been worried sick…" he hesitated, "…for weeks."

"Jeez Dino, cut the cheese." Elsa said. But she was really happy, it seemed like they had been apart forever, and it was relieving to know she had completed her job even though she had completely forgotten about those alexandrite-whatever things. Finally, she could feel his presence right beside her, a dazzling figure that she didn't know whether to love as a man or superior. Ohh…she was getting all sentimental again.

There was silence. They both took a moment to look at each other.

"Have you…been well…Boss?"

He smiled.

She looked away shyly, "W-What?"

"Been good, how about you?"

Elsa fiddled with her fingers. She'd completely forgotten about all the worries she had intended to rant to him about, "Fine."

_I can't look him in the eye._

Dino stopped smiling and took her hand, which made her jump in surprise. "I've wanted to tell you so bad…"

"T-Tell me what?" she gulped. The mood was changing quick.

"That I've been an idiot."

And what exactly did he mean by that? She really wanted to know—wait, hold on. It couldn't be. He couldn't possible mean to…not now, never. She just woke up from a 5-day concussion and suddenly Dino was right before her with a pain-stricken, worry-wart, infatuated look in his eyes, while holding her right hand so dotingly…she must be dead. Definitely. Or was this his idea of mocking her? Whatever it was she didn't want to believe it was happening. EVER.

"I've been so wrong Els, there's so much I want to say but I'm just not sure if I _should_ to say it. Can you understand?"

Elsa hesitated for a moment. She reluctantly answered, "N-No. What are you trying to say?"

_Wait. Stop. Don't answer that._

Dino was having a hard time finding the right words. He wasn't sure where to start, or what were the right things to mention. It was all new to him, but now as new as it was for her. There was just so much to say after weeks apart, especially when both sides had occupied their thoughts with each other most of the time. Maybe – just maybe – he should wait a little longer, but that was hard considering how desperately he'd been trying to reach this one special girl.

All of a sudden, he reached out and held her against his beating chest, like a child reunited with his toy, like he has lost and found his soul. Elsa stiffened, she wasn't sure how to react. She could feel every bit of his emotions pouring into her: confusion, distress, adoration, comfort, liberation and relief. She could hardly breathe, and it wasn't only because of his unbearably tight hold, but because this one passionate gesture he had bravely initiated was an expression of his…a confession of his…something she had never experienced in her 17 years.

He was finally able to cough out, "I think I—"

"What is this? Some kind of joke?" Elsa cut him off, "Hey Boss, I just woke up and I hardly know what's going on right now. I'm still a bit tired so if you don't mind let me—"

"Elsa! I'm sure of it, I—"

Elsa snapped. She didn't want to hear anymore, "Shut up Dino don't say it! You're just confused, it's all your imagination, a bunch of delusional thoughts! Go night clubbing or something, meet some new hot girls and get laid or whatever, go do dillydally things with them and clear up your mind! There's no way you possible be…." she gasped.

"Hear me out will you?" Dino wasn't going to listen to any of that nonsense, he'd had enough. There wasn't a glint of doubt in him, but Elsa didn't want to look up into his eyes to prove this. Too embarrassed and too afraid he would see her vulnerable self – her weakness: that she was so unused to having someone feel this way for her it made her feel uneasy. Not in her 17 years had her feelings ever been returned, and for someone as beautifully sculpted as Dino to be confessing to her was too good to be true. There had to be some kind of glitch to this.

The door opened.

"Sorry. Am I interrupting something?" one of Dino's men had walked in on them. Perfect timing.

Elsa broke away from her boss immediately with a flustered face and all. She took this chance to flee and ran out of the ward as fast as she could, muttering a timid 'excuse me' as she hurried passed her subordinate. Dino was left sitting on the floor with a dejected expression on his face. He groaned, "Damn, that was my chance."

Luciano stormed in and started making a racket, "YOU IDIOT! I told you not to go in!"

Romario followed, sighing exasperatedly. If only he had stopped this mood-killing idiot before he interrupted such a perfect moment. He helped his boss up and sighed once more, "Boss, aren't you going to chase her?"

"No. It's fine, I'll sort things out later," Dino replied. "Luciano, find Elsa and tend to her, she shouldn't be moving around like that."

"Yes Boss!"


	36. Somewhere, Someday

_Disclaimer – Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. _

I really should change the genre, there's no humour anymore. Haha.

Edit: I don't know where I got 'Verde' from. It's Cadavere.

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

* * *

**Chapter 36**

**Somewhere, Someday**

Elsa cooped herself up in a nearby shrub. The Cavallone's garden was huge, so hopefully she wouldn't be found out. She sat there, hugging her knees with a blushing, flustered expression, biting on the edge of her lip with an ocean of thoughts flowing through her mind. Questions were flying around her vision: what had happened? Was this a dream? Reality check – was she really still alive?

After this, she'd have to face him again sooner or later. It wasn't an uncommon thing, there had been a few times where facing him had been difficult, but this time…_this _time things would be more awkward than ever. Was what had happened a good thing? Was she mad? The truth was: it wasn't a bad thing, but there was this feeling stuck at the back of her head that told her his new-found feelings for her might be out of pity. She hoped this wasn't true, because if that was the case, she would whoop his ass, pack her bags and go home.

Elsa heard rustling from the bushes behind her. She kept very still, praying it wasn't who she thought it was.

"Elsa! Elsa where are you?" it was Luciano.

Elsa popped up from within the shrubbery, "Lucy!"

She could have sworn he let out a girlish squeal before running up to her and squeezing her like his favourite Gucci bag. He let his tears flow and rubbed his face against her shoulder childishly, "I was worried Elie! When we split during the escape I was so DAMN WORRIED!"

His grip tightened, and Elsa choked out, "Nice…to see you as well...I c-can't breathe…"

He released her and wiped his tears away, "What happened? Was the Vongola Outside Advisor nice to you? Are you still in pain?"

"No I'm fine, really. The CEDEF were very…err…kind." Elsa reassured, smiling at him. She was glad, that she was able to make a friend like him. She began dusting off the stray leaves that were stuck to her hospital gown.

Luciano calmed himself and stopped sniffling. This was a first for Elsa, and probably not the last. She sighed. He unexpectedly grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her towards him, eye to eye. He squinted, "Serious talk now Elsa. Dino…it's finally come true for you, he's head over heels in lo—"

"Shh!" she cupped a hand over his babbling mouth, "Don't say it…"

He brushed it away, "Why? Aren't you ecstatic?"

"I don't believe him!"

"What's there not to believe? He's been sitting beside your bed since…I…don't think I should be…nevermind…"

Elsa's eyes lit up, "He has?"

Luciano nodded sheepishly. The surprises just kept coming. Everything just seemed too surreal, and she blamed it on her own inexperience, but still, Dino was one in a million, any ordinary girl would be in disbelief. The more she thought about it, the harder it was for her to know if she ready to answer his feelings with her own? Something – just something- held her back. She wished she could just gauge it out and throw herself in his arms, live the fairytale she never had. But it was useless, things unknown to her would replay imageless over and over again in her head. "It doesn't feel right…"

"What doesn't?"

"I can't picture myself with him…" replied Elsa, shifting her eyes to the side. Too good for her, maybe?

"Are you okay? Are you sure you're genuinely OKAY? Did the Vongola hit you on the head so hard you've become a completely different person?" Luciano questioned.

Elsa grumbled, "No, it's not like that. I can't explain it."

"It's not because you promised you'd get over him right? Because obviously the tables have turned!"

She shook her head, "I just have…this feeling in my gut. I don't know, I'm confused on what to do…give it some time and I'm sure I'll think of something…"

"I don't get you, I thought you'd be crying tears of joy over this!" Luciano cried, frustration building up, "You'll regret it if you don't hurry up!"

Elsa tried to calm him down, but she could see the furious look on his face wasn't faltering even one tiny bit. Just as she was about to ask Luciano to escort her back into the mansion, she heard a deafening BOOM from inside. The ground shook, both Elsa and Luciano stood their ground. When the shaking had stopped, Elsa grabbed a hold of Luciano's sleeve and began running towards the direction of the explosion. Smoke was rising from one side of the Cavallone headquarters, the side in which Dino's room was.

**xxxx**

He crawled his way behind the nearest intact wall, his hands gripping tightly on his whip. He coughed, the thick smoke drowning his lungs, he got to his feet and began stumbling around the residue-filled hallway. Behind him was the sound of gunfire – as if one surprise attack from the Cadavere wasn't enough. He it would happen, he just knew it. But he didn't think they were even capable of planting bombs inside his room without the Cavallone finding out. He'd underestimated them – damn it – and just when Elsa had woken up. Worst timing ever.

"Boss, are you alright?" Romario called out, his dark figure a few feet away, shrouded by the smoke.

"I'm fine!" he coughed.

Another voice, "Boss, the Cadavere are attacking from the outside!"

Curse this. The Vongola guardian succession battle had just ended! How much more fighting did he have to go through? Dino motioned his right-hand man to gather everyone and protect the headquarters, and most importantly, to find his special woman and get her to safety. Coincidentally, he looked from the hole in his room and saw her running with Luciano behind, her expression in a anxious state. Dino immediately leaped from his level and landed safely before her. She yelped in shock and took a startled step back.

"Boss?" Luciano cried.

"Go inside, get Elsa to safety!" Dino ordered.

"Wait, you want me to stay INSIDE? No!" Elsa snubbed, "We're not separating _again_!" so much for the awkwardness, although she still felt weak, facing him so soon.

Luciano started, "Elie, listen to the Boss—"

"Forget it, Luciano go help the others I'll stay with her."

There was another explosion a few meters from the nearest barricading wall. Luciano went off into the chaos of gunfire and grenades, Elsa urged herself to follow him and help out, but Dino had held firmly onto her arm. He grabbed her by the waist and threw her over his shoulder. She flailed and demanded for him to put her down, but instincts told Dino that carrying her would be the easiest way to keep them together. He made a run for it to the back of the mansion, avoiding enemy snipers that could potentially gun them down and create a bloody mess that would then put an end to their story. The Cavallone residence was huge, so it took a good deal of time before Elsa and Dino had finally managed to reach the underground entrance, hidden in a disarray of vines and leaves. He pressed a hand against the iron door and immediately it opened, revealing a lit tunnel that looked like it could go on for a while.

Elsa had gave the thrashing around a rest, "Will you put me down now?"

Dino did as he was told. They went inside and let the automated door shut behind.

"What exactly is going on?" Elsa asked.

"We're at war, with another mafia family. I'm sure you've heard of the Cadavere?"

"Them? What have we ever done to THEM?"

"I told you Elsa, this is just how my world is."

Elsa frowned, "Then what are we doing in here? We should be out there helping everyone else!"

Dino shook his head, "No, you're staying here."

She groaned, he was doing it again. Looking down on her as if she were useless. Did he not realize she was the mastermind behind the escape from the Vongola headquarters during their time apart? The Cadavere compared to the Vongola was like comparing a cockroach to a whale, so what made him so especially protective of her. Was it because she was a girl?

Elsa was getting irritated and it showed quite obviously on her face, but before she could open her mouth and give a whole speech on how capable she was, the time she had been asked to act as a sniper for the CEDEF replayed in her head – when she cowered at the thought of pulling the trigger and taking a man's life, and when she tried desperately to reach Dino and confide in him. She let her expression sink, but not for long, as Dino pressed her against the cold, sturdy wall.

Was now really the right time? She thought. But nevertheless it made her blush, his self towering over her.

"You don't need to be my subordinate anymore, that was a mistake." Dino said suddenly, breath tickling her face.

"W-Why not? I haven't been useless, I've been doing my job right!" she stuttered.

"I don't mean that, you were never meant to be protecting me in the first place." Dino was chagrined, there was a glint of emotion in his eyes that reached out to her own bluish eyes. "I'm sorry Elsa, for all I've done to you, and for hurting you."

"Oi, Bucking-horse, now is not exactly the best time!" said Elsa. _He's acting strange again…_

"I know. But it's now or never. That time we had, I used Yano, I never planned to do such a thing, but I have a reason..." Dino gritted his teeth, to stop himself from saying any more.

Elsa gaped, she had reached an epiphany. No way, it couldn't possibly be that…from the beginning this whole 'I only think of you as a sister' thing was just a bunch of lies? What could have possibly driven him to reject her in the first place? Elsa had a lot to ask, but she was also perplexed on what to think of it. The biggest question she had was whether Dino held affection for her, liked her, or loved her, which one was it and when did it start? Because the extent of her feelings compared to his could be a wide gap.

Elsa started, "I don't understand. One minute you don't need me, the next minute you do? I can't make up my mind, should I trust what you're saying to me? What the freaking hell is going on—"

He kissed her.

…

…

…..

Too startled to move, too in awe, too shaken, she let herself melt under the amass of passion and burn in this unfamiliar, momentary intimacy. His eyes were closed, and swayed by the mood, she unintentionally closed her own. Her first time, taken so perfectly, the way young girls grow up dreaming of happening. Blood was rushing madly through her veins, blushing her skin. She began to feel lightheaded. Her mind took a trip to fantasyland. But most importantly, those butterflies she had trouble containing all these months were now fluttering wildly in her stomach. This feeling was…the peak of her life.

When it ended, she could hardly keep herself standing. She was mortified, embarrassed, and burning at the same time. Dino had kept his adoring brown eyes on her, and she had not stopped staring blankly at him either. He smirked, and it finally became too much for her.

She admitted it. _I'm glad to be alive. _

The automated door behind them swung open. Luciano had a assault rifle on his back, he held out his phone, "Boss, I'm ready."

Dino turned from the smitten girl, and patted Luciano on the shoulder as he walked passed Elsa. "Take good care of her."

Elsa came to a realization that Dino was separating from her once again. She chided at him, "Where do you think you're going?"

Dino looked at her one last time and smiled – that goofy, irresistible smile that she loved so much, implanted into her memory. "Don't worry Els, we'll meet again."

And before Elsa could run to drag him back – be it by the shirt or his hair – the door was closed on her. The locks could be heard clamping together and Dino was no more in her line of sight. She slammed her fists against the door, "What the FUCK? WHAT THE FUCK? YOU STUPID HORSE SHIT, WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?"

Luciano took her arm and dragged her away, she tried to pull back but was unsuccessful. Her face, confused and utterly bewildered, cried at Luciano, "W-Where did he ask you to take me?"

Luciano sighed, "I'm sorry Miss Luca, he asked me to take you home. _Home_ home."


	37. Elisabeth

_Disclaimer – Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. _

Hey guys I couldn't reply to your reviews last chapter (because ffn decided to be a bitch), which is a shame because you all gave such nice comments. So I'm going to have shout outs instead:

**Phantom R2, Crunch Berry Baroness, iEXIST, Lal Plaridel, scouz!, Conanfan15, Whitemagic58, Senna-X, Prince SuperSharky, MikaUchiha666, NatsuMichi, KHR LOVER, animelover41195, KhAeL, rei, TetsuHideyoshi**

Also, NatsuMichi requested for the link for Elsa's picture which was posted on chapter 20. Don't forget to replace the (dot) with an actual dot.

http:/img840(dot)imageshack(dot)us/img840/7231/elsadeluca(dot)jpg

Major CHEESE up ahead.

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

* * *

**Chapter 37**

**Elisabeth**

If even there was a time Elsa could travel back to the past, she wanted it so badly to be now. When that door closed on her and all she could see was a blurry reflection of her disorientated self, she regretted so much: if only she had told him before he left her, that her feelings for him had never changed, and would never change. Now her regrets had left her sitting solemnly at the back seat of the car, with Luciano driving at full speed towards her hometown. The trip went for hours, and the closer they got to their destination, the more thinking Elsa had done. Luciano seldom spoke, occasionally glancing in the front mirror to check on her. He didn't want this either, but the Cavallone Boss had the final word, and this had been an ongoing discussion since Elsa had been moved from the Vongola base to the Cavallone base. After days of watching over her still body in the medical ward, Dino had decided it was time Elsa went back to her normal life. He told everyone it was only temporary, until the tension between the Cavallone and Cadavere died out, but who knows how long that would take? Most people had protested, but their Boss did not waver one bit. He insisted it was only short-term, and no one knew whether to believe it or not – except for Romario, who had simply accepted it, a little too quickly.

As Luciano drove into the main road of Elsa's isolated hometown, which was rather beaten up with cracks and road tar bits scattered everywhere. He looked at the address, written in Romario's handwriting on a post-it. He turned onto an unfamiliar street, the houses were lined up rather awkwardly. Many of them were old enough to be from the 19th century, with stone walls layered crookedly. The roads became narrower and narrower as Luciano drove around, until it came to a point where he had to reverse to a wider area and leave the car where it was. He got out and opened the door for Elsa. She didn't budge, but sat there with her arms crossed, staring blankly at the headrest.

Luciano sighed, "Come on Elie. Get out of the car, help me get your stuff out of the boot."

She sighed, loud enough for him to hear. Elsa stepped out onto the pavement. The streets were quiet, not a single person in sight, just like she remembered. She took one of her bags from Luciano's hands – they felt heavy, like everything had been pre-packed long before today. They walked for the rest of the way, neither of them saying a word. People started appearing after five or so minutes later, many faces had gawked at the new intrusion, others had smirked at the return. Elsa felt herself tremble at the stares and looks she was getting, she just hated coming back to these people. The run down shops were lined up in an orderly fashion. On the very last lot was a cream bricked house with jade moss clinging at the edges. The door was chipped and wooden, the knob a rusted gold. Elsa could hardly remember it anymore.

"Here we are, I'll bring your bags in. Is anyone home?" asked Luciano, moving the slanted gate to the side.

"I don't know, I just got here." Elsa replied bitterly.

Luciano scowled at her. It wasn't his fault, jeez. Now in a crabby mood, he knocked on the door and waited for a response. Elsa crossed her arms, moping at the hateful homey vibes the house was giving off. The latch opened with a click, and a woman greeted them with a warm smile, "Yes?" she peered over Luciano's shoulder, and cried out with astonishment, "Elisabeth?"

It was Elsa's mother, the one he'd been told was a secretary for a small company. She resembled her daughter in subtle ways, if Luciano didn't know it was her mother he would never think it. Her features were much too soft, and she had big doll, green eyes, a darker tint of brown hair (much longer than Elsa) that fell down her shoulders, and a lack of wrinkles. In fact, the only wrinkles Luciano could point out were some faint lines on her forehead. This woman resembledElsa in no way, she had a charm that reminded him of Yano and a smile that mirrored her's as well.

"You're back, Elisabeth!" cried Valentino.

"S-S-Shut up, that's not my name." Elsa spat, but despite her insolence, the woman came to her side and hugged her. In that very moment, Elsa had lost the warmth of Dino's arms when he had held her, she had been keeping it until now – she felt devastated. She struggled free from Valentino's hold and took a step back, "Get off me, ugh how revolting!"

"Should you really be saying that to your own mother?" Luciano chided.

"Don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong, just go home and help that airhead before he kills himself," Elsa took her bags from him.

"Wait, aren't you going to let me in?"

Elsa glared at Luciano, and for some reason it looked very unwillingly.

"No," she said, and shoved her mother inside the house. The door slammed shut and nothing more was said.

She wasn't happy, at all. Luciano knocked on the door and cried out, "Elsa, when Dino says he'll see you again, he means it!"

There was no reply, so he tried knocking again, "HE MEANS IT DAMN IT!"

He stood there in silence, staring at the chips and scratches. After a while, it was clear Elsa was not coming out, and this was her way of saying goodbye _arrivederci_. It was such a shame, Luciano thought, things were ending like this before they even started. He wanted to believe in his Boss that one day he'd come back for this girl. She was the only one that understood him, and he didn't want to lose that. In solemnity, he sighed. But before he left, a note was slipped under the door. He picked it up.

**Hey.**

**I know he'll come back for me, I never doubted it, but seeing myself still so hopeless after all these months together (at times, apart) I've decided to do something about it. I'm going to change myself for Dino, tell him that for me. And tell him I'm thankful that he's given me so much, and that I love him. **

**Elsa.**

**P.S. Ah, sorry for the half-assed goodbye. **

Luciano let few tears fall down his cheeks. He began snivelling and thought this was the worst love story he'd ever heard of. Elsa and Dino were very much ready to become a couple, but something kept getting in the way, a stupid thing too – their own personalities. The biggest obstacle in their road wasn't even Yano, she was just a road block that could easily be knocked away. He'd read a lot of shoujo manga in his life, but never did he think the real thing would affect a bystander so much. No…their story wasn't anything like shoujo manga, there was too much sincerity in their feelings, nothing a bunch of drawings could describe, not even words. All these two younglings needed to do to fall for each other was to meet, and that was all there was to it.

Luciano rubbed his moist eyes. He tucked the note into his pocket. He sobbed, "Stupid bitch. Leave me out of your lovey-dovey relationship." He left through the gate, got back into his car and drove home with a heavy weight in his heart and a message for his Boss.

xxxx

_A few days earlier…_

_Dino had not kept his eyes off her sleeping face. Judging by her restless look, being confined to a hospital bed with tubes attached here and there was stopping her from showing her usual sleeping habits. _

_It was his fault she had to go through all that mafia chaos, but even if that was true, he couldn't bring himself to force her back home, because for one: it was a stupid idea and she would be even more miserable, for two: he still hadn't told her the truth about why he chose to distance himself for her, and for three: he wanted to fix things and start fresh. _

_Romario came in with a smile on his face, "Still not awake Boss?"_

"_It's Elsa, she's a sloth." Dino grinned._

_Romario came to his side and offered his Boss a mug of coffee, Dino took it gratefully. He leaned back in his chair and sighed exasperatedly. When Elsa was back on her feet, there were so many things he'd want to do to her and with her. First he'd tell her everything, then he'd hold her, then she'd probably kick him or something absurd, then he'd whisper sweet nothings to her because words were ridiculous compared to what he really felt. Dino, are you becoming a wuss? probably, but what did he care? he was going to stop at nothing to be with—_

"_Boss, I have something to tell you."_

_Dino snapped out of Elsaland. He looked up at Romario, his smile dropped at his right-hand man's grim expression, "What's wrong?"_

"_I found something while doing some last minute research on Miss Luca…I think you should see this."_

_Dino saw something in Romario's hand, a file of some sort. Romario hesitated for a moment, unsure whether or not he should be doing this. Before he handed it over, he said to him with eagerness, "I'm not sure of its authenticity, please don't jump to conclusions."_

"_I've done enough of that," Dino chuckled, taking it and opening it up, "It's time I follow some of Reborn's advice."_

_Romario hoped his Boss would not lose that amiable face, it pained him to even find such a thing lurking around Elsa's portfolio. No, maybe he should take it back and pretend it was never there, maybe he should—_

_Dino froze. He had only pulled out an inch of what was inside. He was at a loss for words. What he saw was beyond what his current self could take:_

Death Registration

Elsa de Luca


	38. Wherefore art thou Juliet?

_Disclaimer – Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. _

Aww man assessments are so cruel. _  
_

Shout outs: **CodeHalo, jadeismycolor, Caroline, Sabbii, scouzwhoIlove8D, FrauleinRose, MikaUchiha666, KizunaCho, ookawa, TheMostObviousPlace, KhAeL, Lal Plaridel, Whitemagic58, iEXIST, Miyusan, KHR LOVER, animelover41195, rei, Sky Vongola princess, eion sairy, Conanfan15, TetsuHideyoshi, Tobi, Akuma no tenshi 666, XxXSkullCookieXxXSlipknot, thecloudguardian, hokkyokusei**

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way._

* * *

**Chapter 38**

**Wherefore art thou Juliet?**

How long had it been since he heard her voice? Elsa never called him, she never wrote to him, and she was never at home when he called her. Six dreadful months had passed, and the feud between the Cavallone and Cadavere ended three months ago, and yet still, Elsa was nowhere to be found. Dino tried information brokers, secret organizations, and he even went to the extent of pleading secret intelligence agencies all around the country, but whatever attempt he made to find her was unsuccessful. No matter how powerful his mafia family was, or how much money he had, finding Elsa de Luca – or whoever she was – was like chasing wind. It was like she didn't exist anymore, or never existed in the first place. Luciano's aloofness towards her absence was even more compelling, and Romario seldom mentioned her at all. His men went on with their lives like their boss never had a wild, memorable fiancée.

Once, he even considered giving up, but his mind and body was just too drawn to her, it was like he could just FEEL she was somewhere in this world – a sixth sense he developed just for Elsa maybe? He thought about her so much it made it impossible to simply drop her like nothing. To put it simply – he was obsessed with Elsa. If he didn't see her soon, something was going to crack. If only – If only the Cadavere had kept their dirty little hands to themselves! No, who was he kidding, pointing fingers wasn't going to help, that's how mafia were. He was the one that sent her away in the first place, thinking she'd patiently wait for him to come back to her. Maybe judgement was being passed down on him for letting her suffer.

The door squeaked open, Luciano came in with a worried look on his face. It had been a while since he'd come to visit so casually like this. "You don't look too good, Boss."

_Am I that obvious?_ Dino thought to himself. He smile and shook his head, reassuring his loyal subordinate everything was perfectly fine.

"No, you haven't slept for days, everyone is well aware that every night you're up until early morning looking for her."

The Cavallone boss chuckled, leaning back in his chair he said with relief, "So she does exist. If another month went by without anybody mentioning her, I think I would have gone insane." It felt like a weight had been hauled off his shoulders.

Luciano sighed, "Boss, nobody mentions Elsa because they know you'd just sulk in the corner all day."

"Don't be ridiculous, I wouldn't—" Luciano gave him a look, a stern one. Dino decided lying wasn't going to help, "If I just knew where she was at least."

Luciano could not bear to see his beloved boss in such agony, it was too solemn, cruel to his heart—okay seriously what the shit? Luciano thought. When did his manly Boss disappear to? If he had to go another month watching this cheesy sentimental oh-I'm-so-emo-for-love crap, he would shoot himself with a shotgun. "BOSS!" he started.

Dino sighed, staring blankly into the distance, "What is it?"

"SUCK IT UP LIKE A MAN!" Luciano cried, slamming his fist on the table, "If Elsa saw you like this she'd throw a chair, kick you, and call you a pansy!"

Dino looked incredulously at him, had his subordinate gone insane? He was in need of a deep and meaningful, not a lecture. But he had to admit, Luciano was right, if Elsa saw him like this she'd probably verbally abuse him until no end. Well, if he was going fix his attitude, he'd need answers, and he was going to have to perform a first-hand investigation himself, no point relying on others to do all the work. And that was probably why he never got results, because he sat back in his chair sulking like a wuss.

"You're right. Get the car ready, I'm going to visit her hometown," he said.

**xxxx**

They wasted no time. Luciano just wanted his boss to get out of the dumps as soon as possible and see a cheesy reunion that would make him sigh with envy. Now he knew he was still guilty of not telling Dino what Elsa had told him to pass on (yes, he kept it to himself after that day) but that was only because the Cavallone boss was still in the middle of a war and he didn't want to distract him. Luciano would suicide if a stray bullet hit his beloved superior. But even after the chaos had ended, he still found it hard to utter a word, which was sad considering the things she wanted him to say, so until this day Dino had no idea she'd left him to supposedly 'change' herself.

A car horned from behind, Luciano snapped out of his trance and sped up on the highway. Dino looked warily at him, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Boss. Just spaced out for a second!" Luciano replied. He sped up a little faster, "We're almost there."

When they'd passed the welcome sign, Dino began to feel nervous for no particular reason at all. Something just told him Elsa was nearby, but how was that possible? Even if he'd never come himself, his men would have been aware of it. The car was parked a few blocked away from Elsa's house, Dino decided it would be best to go himself, since Elsa's mother had never met him, and it was possible she'd been lying to his men in order to hide Elsa – improbable, but possible. So Luciano went off to investigate around, even though he'd done so so many times already.

Dino slid past the immovable, slanted gate, and stepped inside the front lawn. The grass was a healthy green, and there were no signs of mayhem – caused by a possibly abusive mother. He knocked on the door and waited. There were some footsteps behind, he held some hope Elsa might open the door. Those hopes were flicked away when her mother Valentino appeared before him. Valentino's eyes widened, impressed by the handsome figure standing on her front porch. She started, "I've never seen you around before. Can I help you?"

"Sorry to bother you. I'm Dino, and I'm here to speak to someone."

"Is it Elsa? Because—"

Dino stopped her, "No, I'm looking for a Valentino de Luca."

She smirked mischievously, and led him into the house, with one hand on his arm. She sat him down on the couch. "Tea or coffee?" she asked.

At first he declined both, but she pressed him to choose until he finally gave in, "Coffee then." When she left to the kitchen, Dino scanned the house thoroughly. From the ceiling to the floor to the photos of a younger Elsa that hung on the wall beside the television. Curiously, he got up to see the rest of the framed photos on the cabinet top, staring at them ever so closely. To the right, where photos of the Elsa he knew, but to the left, were photos of a girl he did not know. She was pale, with green eyes, dark brown hair, she looked much more like Valentino than Elsa did. Dino's interest only grew, when he picked up a photo of Elsa with her mother, standing outside an orphanage with a huge grin on her face. He almost dropped it when he heard the clank of a cup being set down on the table.

"That was when she was still Elisabeth," said Valentino, sitting down with a cup in her hands, "That orphanage closed down just last year."

Dino felt a number of questions fly into his head, he made the effort to ask at least one of them, "Elsa's real name is Elisabeth?"

"Not real name, old name," she corrected, "before I adopted her and changed it to Elsa. I used to remind her every day, but now, I've started to call her Elisabeth again."

"Where is she?"

Valentino smiled, "I thought you came here looking for me?"

Dino didn't say anything. She'd caught him pretty fast, it would be best if he kept his identity to himself. He plopped himself back down on the couch and listened to her tentatively.

"Never mind, I know you're looking for her, just like all those other men that have come knocking on my door. Tell me, who hired you all?"

"I don't know." Dino lied.

"I see," she sipped her coffee, "you can ask me anything but _that_ question."

"Who is Elsa de Luca?"

"My daughter."

"Who is Elisabeth?"

"The girl _you're _looking for, and the child I adopted to replace my daughter that passed away a few years back."

Dino felt a surge of uneasiness whirl inside of him. He asked again, "Who is Elisabeth de Luca?"

Valentino fell silent for a moment. She grimaced and urged him to drink his coffee before it went cold. He did as he was told, but as he set it back down on the table, he looked at her expectantly. She went on, "She's a replica of my daughter, because I told her to be like my Elsa when I first adopted her."

"And what was your daughter like?"

"Dino, I'm sure you know very well what my daughter was like. I know you would've at least dug that far, she was mentally and physically ill. She fell in love like a normal girl, but was never treated like one. The boys in this town were cruel, torturous and behaved like the devil's spawn. She often went to a psychiatrist, Dr. Lianna Verde a very good friend of mine who's moved out of the country."

"How did she pass away?"

"Hyperventilated in this very room, and died from shock. And you know why? Because I slept with the boy she was crazy about, and I guess she just couldn't take it anymore – being disregarded by all those crushes," she took out a cigarette from her pocket and lit it with her shaky hands, "Still, it was my fault she's dead."

Dino saw her struggling to light the tip of it, so he took the lighter from her hands and helped her. She thanked him and took a breath, continuing on with her story, "This was only three years ago. I slept with him because I was a shit mother. I couldn't forgive myself, so right away, I adopted Elisabeth, thinking I could bring my Elsa back to life and treat her the way she should've been treated. I fed her every single memory of Elsa I could, I tried to make her act like her, dress like her, and of course I forced her to believe that the boys in this town had mistreated her, and that she shouldn't associate with them – it had to be as realistic as possible, I was desperate. I never told her of what I did to Elsa, though, I suppose it wouldn't matter now. What I had tried to do, had only worked on her memories, but her distinctive personality never left her. I think the sharpness of her tongue was what urged me to choose her in the first place, I thought I could change her, but in the end she changed me."

Dino felt relieved that the Elsa (or Elisabeth) he knew was not a fake, and that her personality was genuine, because it was the personality he liked the most. But still, it was hard to comprehend the truth that he was hearing.

"I can see you smiling, obviously you're glad Elisabeth didn't give in her real self to my selfishness. Yes, I couldn't agree more. When she left me abruptly just a little over a year ago, I went mad – literally – but I'm fine now…I think. I had my fair share of rehab, psychiatrists, family talks and so on."

"So…Elisabeth is…fine?"

"What? Is she mental or anything? No, but she probably believes she's my Elsa, don't all orphaned children want to be accepted by a mother and father? Especially since I found her at the age of 15, she was one of the oldest still around."

Somehow, Dino began to feel tight in the chest. All this time he thought he knew so much about her, but really he knew nothing. "Where is she?"

"I thought I told you not to ask that question again."

"I…need to know," Dino pleaded, with a helpless look in his eyes.

She scrutinized him, her eyes wandering up and down. A chiselled face, attractive physique, eyes that melted you with a glance, could he be the root of this goose chase that had been going on for months? Valentino thought. That was impossible, why should a man like this fall for Elsa? There was nothing she could offer him. But that look in his eyes told her he was desperately in love, almost possessive. She admired that, and was almost envious.

"If you sleep with me just once, I'll tell you everything about Elisabeth."

Dino was taken aback, "Excuse me?"

"Everything you want. Easy offer. I'll even take you to her."

He immediately got to hit feet, knocking over his cold coffee, "Sorry!" and tried pick up the shattered pieces.

Valentino sighed, "I was kidding." She told him to stop and collected the pieces into a dustpan from the kitchen. He apologized once more, but as he tried to leave, tripped on his own two feet and fell face flat on the floor.

"Ouch…why does this always happen?" he muttered to himself.

Bemused by this, Valentino let out a laugh. Never had she been so deceived by a man's appearance, she would have never guessed he was this clumsy. She was beginning to see why Elisabeth was so keen on working hard to improve herself for him. She pressed her cigarette into the ashtray on the table and went to help him up. He thanked her and proceeded to leave again, but before he could, she grabbed his arm to stop him, "I'll tell you where she is, but would you be okay with it? What if she doesn't want to see you just yet?"

"I'll make her see me," Dino replied, radiating with his goofy, stupid smile.


	39. Lost and Found

_Disclaimer – Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. _

Yo everyone, it's my birthday tomorrow (July 2nd just thought I'd like to share HAHAHA -gets shot-) and this is my gift to everyone. An UPDATE!

Now for my birthday I only want one thing from you guys: a review ;)

**Fun fact: Did you know Elsa was originally intended for Hibari before I wrote this fanfic? LOL imagine the title: When Pigs Die **

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

* * *

**Chapter 39**

**Lost and Found**

"Are you sure about this?" Luciano asked, hand on the wheel of their car. He was skeptical about trusting Elsa's mother.

"Who else would know where she is? And if anything goes wrong I'll handle it," replied Dino more determined than ever. The scribble on the map was barely legible , but Valentino was in a rush while explaining things. Apparently Elsa had cooped herself up in the mountain ranges with a bag of cashew nuts, a knife, a pot, a box of matches, a 2 liter water bottle and a sleeping bag. Finding her was going to be a long, difficult process. "Stop the car here, we'll go on foot."

Luciano did as he was told and swerved to a halt beside a large tree. He got out of the car and opened the door for his boss, from here they took a good long look at the endless path of trees that stretched far beyond their line of sight. Oh, and this wasn't the only mountain, there were probably hundreds more to go.

"Boss, are you sure you don't want to call a search party? This is a bit…" as much as Luciano missed his only empathetic friend, it could take years with only two people to hound the entire landscape of mountain ranges.

Dino placed a hand on his subordinates shoulder and said to him, "You don't have to come with me If you don't want to."

"Not a chance." Luciano opened to boot of the car and threw a bag at his boss. Dino caught it with ease and slipped his arms through the straps. Luciano pulled out a huge sheet of cloth and draped it over the vehicle, tucking the ends inside the black tires. "We won't be back for a while right? Can't let the car get too dusty."

**xxxx**

Everything seemed much smaller if you saw it from a distance. Dino learned that from the moment he stepped foot inside the forest. There were a few paths that led to nowhere, so they were basically wandering around aimlessly. Why Elsa even chose to come to this place was a complete mystery to the two of them – she had her unpredictable ways, and when did she plan on returning anyway?

Nature was a pleasant sight, it kept them occupied for most of the hike; the pristine streams sliding down the rocks, the call of birds tucked within the tangled branches of the trees, much of it was new to Dino, especially. He had so much on his plate there was never really any time for him to see mother nature's side of the world. When was Italy this unsullied? What he grew up with was bloodbaths and sin, human menace and greed. If he could once again return to his past, he would change a lot of things, beginning with running away to Elsa's hometown and finding her at the orphanage. It was a dream that would be left unfulfilled, but a dream nevertheless.

The trip went on until evening, and before the sun had completely set, they set up camp and rested for the night. Dino would lay awake for most of the night, but still resumed early morning to search tirelessly. When he looked for Elsa, there was not a moment when he wasn't thinking of her. He would picture himself talking to her, just casually in a pitch black empty space. Dino would ask this imaginary Elsa repeatedly: _What are you doing right now? Are you eating well? Are you safe? Can you hear me calling out to you? Why haven't you contacted me? I miss you._

And the imaginary Elsa would always reply: _I miss you too._

Such stupid, cliché questions. But just the sight of her stumped him, since he had too much to say. Sometimes his mind would slip and theories that Elsa never existed would tighten his chest so violently he would have to lie to Luciano about being too worn out to carry on for the day. As dramatic as it sounded nothing was what he consciously intended.

One their third day they'd come across a run-down shack and gone inside. The place was still warm from a freshly extinguished hearth, and there were signs of recent accommodation. To Dino, this was a sure lead to Elsa, but Luciano was more skeptical.

"Could be anyone."

"Something tells me it's her…" Dino said.

Luciano shrugged his shoulders. He strolled around the tiny shack and thought of possible signs that would tell him _Elsa _was the one that had stayed here. All he could come up with was: a pair of Gucci sunglasses. But then again she was too much in poverty to afford those, so maybe those Prada heels Dino had bought her last year? No, Dino told him she had a bag of nuts with her, what was it…walnuts or something? Elsa was such a strange girl—well woman now – they did miss her birthday. He wondered if she had grown or changed in these 6 months...probably not.

From the corner of his eye something glistened in the far corner. Luciano bent over and picked it up, blowing the dust off the object. He raised an eyebrow – it was a ring, a silver one. _Hmmm…white gold not silver…wonder who's it is? _He thought to himself. _Looks strangely familiar…I've seen it somewhere before._

_**About a year ago…**_

"_Luciano, what about this one?" Dino pointed over the glass casing at a unadorned ring. The price was reasonable (not that Dino really cared) but it wasn't anything special or extravagant. _

_Luciano grunted, "It's perfect." A ring like that was MORE than perfect for a woman that didn't even adore his boss like he did. Whoever was going to get this better be unimpressed. Stupid skanks …if only Romario would let him watch the auditions. It wasn't like he was going to pull anyone's hair (cough). Why did his subordinates have to press his beloved Dino into getting married? He was sexy as he was…SINGLE. _

"_Although, it's just a temporary one," said Dino, watching the storekeeper remove the ring from its much more dazzling brothers and sisters. _

"_Why buy it then?" Luciano asked, bemused._

_Dino thanked the lady at the counter, and tucked the felted box inside his pocket, "I don't know who I'm marrying, so there's no need for anything grand."_

"_Won't the girl be disappointed?" not that it really mattered to Luciano either way. _

"_If she is disappointed, I'd know she didn't come to marry me for the right reasons."_

_Luciano paused. He averted his eyes to Dino, who was smiling stupidly at him. _

_**xxxx**_

Luciano had reached an epiphany. He cried out, "IT'S THE RING!" he rushed to his Boss' side and shoved it in his line of sight. Dino took a step back and gestured for his subordinate to CALM THE FUCK DOWN.

He took the thing from Luciano and examined it in the palm of his hand. It was indeed the ring he had given Elsa on their first day, and he was surprised she had still kept it. He thought she'd thrown it away long ago from at least one of the numerous cases she'd been pissed at him. Apparently not. This made him somewhat…happy. "She's been here."

"You stay here boss, I'll go outside! She might come back!" and before Dino could give a response, Luciano had rushed out the door and slammed it shut, causing the shack to shake. Residue fell from the ceiling, but luckily there was no collapsing.

Now Dino was left alone to wait. He looked around for a spot to sit but there wasn't a chair in sight, so he slumped to the floor and leaned against the brittle, wooden wall. He balled his fist around the ring. Heart skipping a beat, just knowing Elsa was close by made him nervous as ever. What would he say to her? He'd practiced it so many times in his head, but the real thing was a far cry from imagination. Well first, he could—

The door shook aggressively, as if someone was trying to get in. It popped open with a _crack_ and someone fell in cursing angrily, "Stupid phucking door!". A girl in a dirty, checked flannel shirt and ripped shorts dropped a bunch of logs on the ground and dusted herself off. "Damn old man knows how to work me," she grumbled, tying her brown hair up. She turned to her right and saw Dino staring at her with utter shock.

She froze. Neither of them could say a word. She rubbed her eyes and mumbled under her breath, "Can't be…I must be hallucinating."

Dino cried, jumping to feet, "E-Elsa?"

"DINO?" she squawked back.

They both stuttered, choked on their words and stood there awkwardly. Dino was not someone with conversational problems so this was extremely uncomfortable for him. For her to pop out of the blue so suddenly left him so flustered it was impossible to say what he wanted to say. After a few more attempts at explaining themselves, they both stopped trying, and stood at the centre of the shack, quiet and shy. Dino peeked up at Elsa, who was looking away sheepishly. She looked _different – _matured, but still the same girl he…he…

"Your…hair is longer…" Dino finally said.

"D-Do you hate it?" Elsa asked anxiously.

The look on her blushing face was enough for him to regain his confidence. He took three long strides and roped his arms around her waist. Dino wistfully caught her lips with his own and kissed her feverishly. He'd been holding back for so long, months and months of yearning, all focused into this one moment. Elsa found herself grasping onto his neck to avoid collapsing under his vigor. He explored her lips roughly, then discretely yet eagerly slipped his prowling hand under her shirt. She let out a muffled moan as she felt his kiss trail down her jaw, down to the nape of her neck – her body tensed up. A shudder rippled through her body. She gasped.

Elsa finally found the strength to push him away. Her face felt heated, and her breath was heavy. This level of intimacy was startling to her - Dino was eating her up alive! She peeked up at his incredulous expression and mumbled timidly, "Get off…who said…you could…"

Dino felt ashamed of himself, it was like he had no control over his desires any longer. There was a beast inside him let off its shackles and ready to ravage her, steal her away, and that was not even the full extent of his feelings . No, he was just caught in the moment, he can't be this obsessive. "I'm sorry, I-I don't know what came over me."

Elsa flushed bright red, her body still tingling from his touch. She felt kind of violated, but surprisingly it wasn't completely despicable. She was guilty of enjoying even a second of it, but she would NEVER tell him. "W-Well…next time warn me before you do something like that!"

He looked at her, surprised at what she had just said, "Elsa..."

"S-Shut up! I didn't mean that, I'm just not used to these kind of things!"

"It figures," he smirked. _His _Elsa was as innocent as always. She definitely hadn't changed, she was still the Elsa de Luca he adored. He took her hand and gazed affectionately at her, it was so mesmerizing Elsa had trouble keeping eye contact. "I'm glad to see you."

"Y-Your fault for dumping me home without notice!"

"I know," he said, but felt inclined to defend himself, "It was for your own—" Elsa glared at him and he backed down.

She continued to scold him, "And you know…it's your fault I worried so much about you!"

"I know."

"A-And it's your fault…your fault..It's just YOUR FAULT!" Elsa cried, she drummed her fists pathetically against his chest, "You're the only one that can turn me into this emotionally frustrated loser!"

"A strange way to put it, but yes, I know all that."

"Dino…why are you so perfect? I've missed you so…so much…why didn't you come looking for me earlier?"

"I'm sorry."

"Damn it, you should be more than sorry!"

Dino sighed, what he would forever be attached to was Elsa's vulnerability hidden behind that hard personality of hers. He embraced her, burying his face in her tangled hair. "I might ask you the same question," his voice was wavering, and Elsa could hear it loud and clear.

"Dino, are you…crying?"

He didn't respond, but he needn't say the answer for her to know, a man's pride could never be expressed with words. She rolled her eyes and patted his back like a child. She chortled, "I love you too…even if you are a pussy."

Then he kissed her again.

Luciano gaped, "I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING!"


	40. Clearing Up

_Disclaimer – Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. _

Hey guys, thank you soooo much for the birthday wishes. The reviews were so unforgettable, I loved them all so much I was motivated to update EARLY LOL (for once in my life).

I'm so dramatic this chapter lulz. Can Amano Akira hurry up and release Dino's last name already? I can't use Dino Cavallone because that's just strange. That's like saying Tsuna's name is Tsunayoshi Vongola…yeah no just doesn't sound right. Stay tuned for a shocking extra at the end of this chapter!

Oh yeah, 2 more chapter guys and I'm finished with this fanfic. I'm…sad :(

Well just to share one of the tracks I was listening to while writing: Supercell – Perfect Day

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

* * *

**Chapter 40**

**Clearing Up**

Now, time went faster. Whatever had kept them apart was no longer there, because they _found _each other, not only physically but emotionally. Beginning on Elsa's side, the entire time she had been training with her ex-employer, the old man that had hired her to work on his farm. Elsa truly believed he had always hated her, but apparently him and his wife were extremely fond of her. After Luciano dumped her home, she went knocking at their door to apologize for her long absence, and they'd greeted her with open arms. She told them her story, and surprisingly they believed every word of it. The old man (claiming to be an expert martial artist) offered to take her into the mountains to train her body and soul, and Elsa agreed almost immediately, expecting Dino to come looking for her after things had calmed down. Because the farm was in a secluded area that was probably why Dino's men were never able to reach her, and it was a rather ridiculous idea for Elsa to be cooped up in the mountains so nobody ever thought of it. This entire explanation was stretched over a period of six hours inside the farmer's home and they were reluctant to let Elsa go. Only after Dino promised to bring Elsa back every once in a while did they agree. Elsa bid a touching farewell to her new second family and left together with the Cavallone Boss and his subordinate.

At one point Elsa felt like crying, but she held back. "No…mustn't lose my dignity," Elsa muttered, looking out the window from the backseat of the car. With Luciano driving, they were on their way to her mother's home. Dino sat beside her. Throughout the entire trip Elsa could not bear to look at him – it was just too embarrassing. It was her first time having her feelings returned, her first time dating, her first everything, so she was shy. She wondered how experienced Dino was, and the first question that popped up inside her head happened to be: is he a virgin?

Elsa felt her body stiffen. That question really hit her hard. Without her knowing, Dino held Elsa's fidgeting hand and smiled. She looked at him with surprise, her face completely red. He chuckled and leaned in to…who knows what he wanted to do…but the moment was ruined as Luciano coughed hoarsely and rather angrily. There would be no love making in the back seat of THIS car. Elsa quickly jerked her arm away, humiliated she pressed her forehead against the window to cool down. Intimacy was something she'd definitely need time getting used to.

**xxxx**

"That was too fast. Impossibly fast." Valentino said, leaning back on her armchair, facing the new item.

Dino grinned, somewhat proud of himself, "I said I'd make her see me. Bringing her back here was a bonus."

Elsa felt like a toy. As if she'd keep her mouth shut. "You didn't make me do anything, or bring me anywhere, you forced yourself onto me. And I just happened to be in a good mood so I came here on my own free will, idiot."

"Of course…" Dino sighed.

Valentino was rather impressed with his tolerance for her no-good daughter. If it weren't for Elsa, she would have pounced on him right away. Well, it was time to put them to the test, she thought. Valentino eyed Dino sternly, "I think it's time you explained the truth to her."

"Shouldn't you be the one—"

"No." She glared, and immediately he knew what she meant. By now, Elsa had probably taken a few blows to her self esteem, with Dino throwing her here and there. If he told her the truth with his own mouth, she'd probably believe him more than her own mother, and at the same time he was indirectly conveying his acceptance of her…not so normal self. Since she was stuck between Elsa de Luca and Elisabeth-the-no one, it would be very reassuring if she knew the one Dino loved was her true self. At least it would get rid of _most_ of her insecurities and make things easier to follow.

Valentino left the room, leaving them in privacy. No innuendos intended.

Elsa crossed her arms irately, "What's all this about?"

"We need to talk," Dino said as-a-matter-of-fact.

"Well…that's obvious. I've got questions and I need answers!"

"Go ahead, ask me."

Elsa was taken aback by his bluntness, it made her feel very uncomfortable, like he was prepping her for some hard-blowing news. She fiddled with her thumbs and shifted a few inches away from Dino on the couch. "F-Fine..." she stuttered, "W-Why…" and mumbled the rest.

Dino cocked an eyebrow, "What?"

"Don't make me repeat it!"

"Els, I couldn't hear it the first time."

She took a deep breath in and asked all at once, "WHY DID YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND ABOUT ME?"

Dino turned red. He turned away from her, not quite knowing where to start. He supposed now was the time to be telling Elsa what her mother wanted him to say. "I don't know…when I started to lo—see you differently, I think it was around the time I realized pushing you away wasn't going to help you – well who I thought you were – out."

"Who you thought I was? Hah?"

"Elsa, I might have snooped around…a little…into your past…" he confessed sheepishly. And before she could scream nonsensical curses at him, he cupped a hand over her mouth. "Wait, let me explain! I just needed to be sure! You know, it was bad enough you ran away from home without permission, I could have been arrested for that (although I don't think it really matters in my case) but I knew nothing about you, and you wouldn't tell me anything either. So I just did some light research and I came across your medical record…that…and a whole stack of articles…" his expression scrunched into a painful scowl, "I-It said you were schizophrenic …and the articles…you were famous in your hometown…terrible things happened," he swallowed the lump in his throat and told himself to calm down, "…all these articles of a girl, thrown inside a well, beaten up, forced to eat…things, pushed into a rotting coffin…raped."

Elsa pushed his hand away and said, "So what? You were afraid of me?"

"I was afraid FOR you!" he cried heatedly, leaning towards her, "Do you have any idea how it felt? The fact that all this had happened to you and I couldn't change _anything_…"

"H-How would I have known? You don't tell me things, I'm always the last to find out…" Elsa felt rather small with Dino enraged expression towering over her, "Besides…I don't remember anymore."

Dino sighed, calming down. "Sorry, " he continued, "I know you don't remember, because none of those things really happened to you."

"What?"

"I never liked Yano."

"I know," she bit her lip, as if she didn't want to remember, "But what does that have to do with—"

"I used her to keep you away because I thought after all those _experiences_, by being with a man you'd remember it all. And then I thought…I'd lose you…"

So that was it, Elsa thought. Dino thought she'd become a schizophrenic nutcase, develop post traumatic stress disorder and be forced into a mental hospital, shut off from the outside world. Was he really that stupid? Did he really expect her to become some 60 year old virgin living off the Cavallone fortune while he went ahead and married some other money-leeching whore? They could've just gotten through the whole damn thing together without the drama of falling in and out of love.

"Honestly, Dino you are one stupid—"

"But then I realized I was just being an idiot. And even if I didn't become your man , someone else would."

Alright, not quite what Elsa was thinking. He actually expected her to find someone else at least.

"Then there was that time when you came back from the Vongola. Before you woke up, Romario showed me something, do you know what it was?"

She rolled her eyes. Of course she didn't.

"It was a death certificate Elsa. A legitimate death certificate with your name on it!"

"So? You thought I was dead, big deal."

"Don't you get it? You're not Elsa, you're Elisabeth!"

"Nonsense."

"Your own mother told me, the pictures on the cabinet, it's all so obvious!"

"Stop it Dino, you're out of your head. My mom's a liar…"

"Elsa—no—Elisabeth, I want to be with ELISABETH. The real you!"

Elsa snapped, "Stop yelling at me!" she didn't want to hear anymore, and she didn't want to believe it. She was Elsa de Luca, daughter of Valentino and Antonio de Luca! Sure she lost some memories, but all of those traumatic things happened to _her_, she wasn't Elisabeth, she was ELSA – the one and only. She just couldn't understand why Dino was trying to nail it out of her head! She lived with her biological parents – sure she hated them – but she was not some adopted orphan. She was a **someone **not some parentless, abandoned **nobody**. Even if she did have a rough childhood, suffered from seven incurable diseases, had a biological father that scammed money off his own child to gamble, was dumped into a well, forced to eat worms, beaten up by classmates, pushed into a rotting coffin, raped, betrayed…it was better than having no one in her life, better than knowing she was disowned the minute she was born. Everything of Elsa de Luca was _her_ past, _her_ memories, and yet…Dino didn't accept that?

His eyebrows furrowed, he looked her in the eye and asked in a soft voice, "Who was with me this whole time for a year and a half?"

Elsa opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again. It wasn't a difficult question, Yano would have replied with 'the number one beauty DUH'. But Elsa didn't know the answer, maybe everyone else knew, but she didn't. Who was she, this entire time? Which one had entered Dino's life, his world, the mafia? She wanted to say Elsa de Luca, but maybe that was a lie. Maybe this entire time, leaving her hometown, seeing the world for herself, meeting new people, falling in love and growing as a person – these were all experiences of Elisabeth…the orphaned girl. Did Dino want that? No, the real question she had to ask herself was: did she want that? Her name was her integrity, so now she just had to decide who's integrity she wanted to keep.

Elsa looked at Dino once more, he was waiting patiently for her. Just that one look, and she found the answer right away.

She muttered softly, "Elisabeth…" and grabbed his shirt tightly, "The one you've been with is me, Elisabeth **no-one**."

Dino stroked her tangled hair, "Elisabeth, my _girlfriend_." She blushed at his caress, and went on daringly to kiss him, that was until Luciano coughed hoarsely (yet again). They hadn't realized he'd entered the room not long ago to check up on them, since they were taking their GODDAMN TIME.

"Boss…Elsa…please…CONTROL YOURSELVES!"

When they both looked, Dino realized they were in a very awkward position. They distanced themselves and turned pink in the face. Luciano sighed and walked over to his boss, handing him a crumpled note. Dino opened it curiously, "What is it?"

"Hey, isn't that…?" Elsa peeked over.

"I'm sorry I didn't give it to you earlier, didn't want to disturb you while the war was going on…" Luciano looked guiltily at the floor. He knew that if he gave it earlier, it wouldn't have taken so long to track Elsa down. Dino forgave him immediately, and before Elsa could bite Luciano's arm off, Dino nudged her to have a little compassion. She grumbled at his leniency, and told Luciano it was alright and that she didn't really care either way (really she wanted to kick him, even if she did have a LOT of catching up to do).

When Valentino came back, she was ecstatic to find Elsa still wanted to be her adopted daughter, she almost broke into tears, but Elsa told her she would consider changing her mind if she did start crying. Although she accepted herself as really Elisabeth, Dino (and most likely everyone else) still preferred to call her Elsa (as a nickname perhaps, next to Els). What came next was almost too funny for Luciano not to burst into guffaws.

"So, are you going to tell me who you are? I'm not just gonna let you whisk my Elisabeth away," said Valentino, crossing her arms.

Elsa was stumped. She couldn't believe Dino hadn't told her own mother yet.

He laughed lightheartedly, "How stupid of me, I haven't even introduced myself all this time."

Elsa gulped.

"I'm Dino, Cavallone family's Tenth-Generation Mafia Boss. Please let me be with your daughter," he grinned.

Almost immediately Valentino's jaw dropped, and she barked, "MOTHER APPROVES OF THIS RELATIONSHIP!"

Luciano shook violently, containing his laughter. This was exactly what Elsa was afraid of, this woman being too keen on a rich man. She sighed, _Oh well, at least he's mine…finally…I think. _

So Elsa left her hometown, promising to visit her mother (after their mended relationship she now stuck with this term). The trip was a long and silent one as both Elsa and Dino had fallen asleep, heads leaning against each other, hand in hand. Luciano complained grumpily about having to drive them around like a slave, but nevertheless he felt so much bliss for the two of them, and he would smile every once in a while knowing the dramatic shoujo manga ended the way he wanted.

Elsa dreamt the first time in a long while about the blonde man that looked uncannily familiar, somewhat like Dino but much older. She was in the same café, but she wasn't a waitress this time, she was seated across the handsome man and chatting to him casually, like they had nothing to hide from each other, like they were a couple. It was a good dream, she had to admit, maybe if she told Dino about it he'd be jealous.

…..

…..

….

* * *

**xxxx  
**

**Omake special – When Pigs Die (HibariXOCElsa)**

Elsa de Luca, your everyday Italian that somehow (like all the other Hibari destined-to-be Italian, Hispanic or whatever race girl) ended up transferring to a Japanese school in a small, rural town called Namimori. She had no idea why she was here, and because this is a bloody CRACK special, it's not going to matter kthxbai.

Elsa hurried to the school gates, fumbling with her school books as she tried to shove them into her bag. Her skirt swayed with the breeze, making her feel bare underneath. She stumbled over a rock-that-just-happened-to-be-there-because-that's-just-how-life-is-in-a-canon-oc-fanfiction-so-suck-it-up. Her books spilled out of her bag and she lay sprawled on the concrete ground with a sore, red nose.

"Urgh…" she groaned, sitting up on the spot. Her knees were scraped, and her hair was a mess. She tried to get up but twitched at the strain in her ankle and stumbled back down again. Just her luck, she'd sprained her ankle (no shit). Why did this have to happen on her very first day? (because it's how romance begins aDUH). She looked around for help, but being this late meant there would be nobody around. She cussed under her breath and limped across to her gather her books. Something or SOMEONE was cursing her.

"Your late." said a voice, curtly.

Elsa looked to beside her bag. A boy, maybe around her age or younger, with jet black hair, sharp, slanted eyes and a coat hanging from his shoulders, glared at her. She cocked an eyebrow and said in reply, "No shit I'm late, speak for yourself. Aren't you going to help me pick my books up?"

The boy looked at her indifferently, he picked up one of her books, but instead of handing it to her, he threw it at her face. Elsa let a vein pop as it hit her already-broken nose hard.

"WHAT THE HELL?" she squawked, "I'm a new student you know!"

"I don't care, it doesn't concern me. You're the idiot that fell over and made a mess outside the school. Clean it up." He stepped **over **her bag and walked through the gates without helping her at all. "I'll let you off this once, if you're late again, I'll bite you to death."

Elsa, almost shaking with fury, cursed under her breath, "What a fucking prick." She slowly but surely gathered her books together. Man she was definitely going to hate this school.

* * *

**A/N**

Hahaha you all seemed really interested in this HibariXElsa phenomenon, so I decided to show you what it would have turned out like if I went with my original plans. Really, just reading that told me: it's going to take at least 400 chapters for them to START liking each other. Elsa has no patience at all, and as if Hibari's going to like a nutcase like her lol. Miracles can happen eh? Nah I aint continuing their relationship. Hope you liked it anyway.


	41. What We've Always Wanted to Do

_Disclaimer – Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira's. _

**Important:** Here's the deal. There will be an EPILOGUE and I'm letting YOU GUYS decide on what will happen. I don't want to be pushy, but come on…LET YOUR IMAGINATIONS RUN WILD! I also won't be updating for maybe a month because of final exams, or possibly longer, so please take your time with this. Sorry for the inconvenience!

**Instructions:** Write your review as usual, ramble, nag at me etc (lol) then put under the heading **Plot Bunny **your creative ideas on what you want in the epilogue. Here's an example:

**Dino was so OOC. Lol. UPDATE YOU NOOB.**

**Plot Bunny: TYL Dino and TYL Elsa are conflicting on their anniversary. I want TYL Hibari to make a sudden appearance and steal Elsa away. (Yada yada yada…you can blab on with as much detail as you want).**

Obviously, majority wins. If not, I'll just pick the most creative response or the plot bunny that intrigues me the most. SO DON'T BE SHY, GO ON, WRITE WHAT YOU'VE ALWAYS WANTED DINO AND ELSA TO DO! (no smut) Keep it rated T guys. If you'd rather I use one of my own cheesy ideas then by all means tell me, but you'd probably regret it haha.

And please, don't get me wrong, some of you think I don't like long reviews. That is so NOT TRUE, I love long and short reviews, quirky reviews, stalker-tendency reviews, too-much-info reviews and so on. It stills astounds me today that this story gathered such a big response, I can't thank you guys enough!

**Shout outs**: MikaUchiha666, RuriKamiya, animelover41195, iloveme264, Maiokoe, rero-chan, dreamgirl96, Namikaze Hatake, ookawa, Senna-X, Junnin, HoshinaMina, furryhairy likes scuzzywuzzyLOL, SwirlzSmile, Conanfan15, eion sairy, Akuma no tenshi 666, iEXIST, leogirl321, Tsukimori san, Heartless Lotus, Skye's Redemption.

_Warning for Oocness, I try my best. Did not copy or plagiarize in any way. _

* * *

**Chapter 41**

**What We've Always Wanted to Do**

Arriving back on the Cavallone property, it still left Elsa in awe at its monstrosity. It all felt like déjà vu for her, like the first day she stepped foot on the premises. The only difference was that this time, Ivan hadn't helped her out of the car – It was Dino. And this time, when she was led inside the main mansion nothing glittered or gleamed at her overwhelmingly, instead she felt like she was home.

It seemed like only yesterday she was shoved into a room and forced to face thirty other malnourished, anorexic and skanky girls. It was still a wonder how she made it so far, how Dino ever came to love her in return for who she was. Only half an hour ago she had asked him in the car "I'm not pretty, actually I'm pretty – damn ugly, so why me?" to which he simply replied "Why not? You're perfect." It left her with a red face for the rest of the trip, even now she couldn't believe his words.

Dino's men received her with open arms. Some even began crying tears of joy. She was hugged and face mashed to the point Dino had to pull her out of the kerfuffle before she suffocated to death. This then caused an eruption of 'awws'and 'I predict babies soon!' from the crowd, and it left Dino blushing alongside Elsa. Probably the most touching reunion yet was with Romario, who came up and wrapped his arms around her with tears in his eyes.

Elsa, for the first time in a long while, pigged out during lunch and dinner. She shoved bread rolls in her mouth, consumed an entire pot of soup, chummed down plates of pasta, seafood and salad. The dining roared with laughter, and with Dino chuckling by her side, nothing could compare to how undeniably happy she felt by the end of the day. But of course, even if everything _seemed _resolved, all good things would come to an end. That, was a universal truth. But no matter, for now life would go on as usual.

Luciano spent the rest of the night, venting his anger out at Elsa, who did the exact same back.

**xxxx**

The following months consisted of Elsa tying herself to the family much more intensely. She went through rigorous training, finally learnt how to use a rifle without hesitating (as much), and brushed on her street fighting just a little bit. Although she still had a loooong way to go. She avoided Dino's intimate advances quite a number of times, drilling into his head she wasn't going to let their relationship move any further until she felt she was capable of surviving in the mafia, or else he'd just baby her and remain a worry-wart for the rest of their time together. So yes, she was keeping her virtue for the time being. Dino was patient (being the gentleman he was)but at the same time it left him extremely sexually frustrated. A man was a man, nothing could change that.

Then came a week before the day they had met, and Dino insisted she follow him to Japan. She refused once, twice, but he was pushy until the end. So Elsa agreed, and they were on the plane flying first class before she knew it. Luciano didn't follow this time, but Romario felt inclined to stick beside his boss as usual.

When they landed, Elsa was hardly expecting a greeting at the airport, but to her surprise a familiar face was standing at the arrival gates with his arms folded and a charming smile painted across his lips. She blushed, and Dino almost grabbed her arm and dragged her back onto the plane. Yes, it was Jun. Elsa could hardly get the words out of her mouth when he greeted her.

"Doing well I see?" he looked behind her, where Dino was smiling back at him but very reluctantly.

Elsa mumbled, "You could say that." She shuffled her feet nervously. Dino had his men move closer, maybe they could scare this guy off.

"Mind if I borrow Elsa for a second?" Jun smirked.

Dino could do nothing but agree, and he watched the supposed-married-man steal his girl away with a huge grin on his face. It was a big mistake calling him over to meet them, he thought it would be a nice gift for Elsa, but he didn't think it would bother _him _in return. Whatever, as long as there was no cheating.

Elsa and Jun didn't talk for long. She told him bits and pieces of her wild experiences since going back to Italy, and that in the end, it all worked out. He was genuinely happy for her, but truth be told he still didn't completely trust the Cavallone boss. Elsa promised to visit the pub before she leaving Japan again, and since she was the official legal drinking age in Italy (although not Japan), she would be allowed to drink as much as she wanted…which was a really bad idea. As long as Dino wasn't told.

She said her goodbyes and hurried back to Dino and his men, who were waiting patiently in a huge pack right outside the door. The public weren't too pleased with the turn-up.

"Els, we better hurry, someone called the cops."

Elsa mumbled, "That's because you all stand out too much…"

**xxxx**

It was wonderful (she didn't know why) seeing Vongola-related people again. Tsuna was at school, so unfortunately she wasn't able to see him, but Lambo well…let's say he was still the same annoying little prick. When Bianchi saw Dino's hand slide inside Elsa's, she smiled and patted Elsa on the shoulder as if she approved. Nana, on the other hand, was ecstatic Dino had finally come to visit with someone other than Romario by his side, and she had always been waiting to see Elsa again.

The next stop was Yano's over-decorated house. Both Elsa and Dino were not surprised to see she had found _another _man and spent around two hours boasting about how lucky she was to be born so beautiful. Her new man sounded like an egotistical rich boy, he was about two years younger than Yano herself and was apparently sponging off his parent's wealth. Yano openly admitted she would have much preferred marrying with Dino. Too bad it didn't work out. Elsa rolled her eyes for most of her rambling, and Dino wondered why he even had a thing for her. But he took it back afterwards, realizing it wasn't a very nice thing to say. When she had finished talking, Yano wished them well, and they left in a hurry before she could start lecturing Elsa about how to control a man. Romario had fallen asleep in the car.

Elsa had no idea where Dino was taking her next.

"We're going to see my student." Dino said, as Romario turned at a curb.

"You have a student? When did you start imitating Reborn?" Elsa asked.

"Since Xanxus went berserk and had the Varia challenge Tsuna and his friends. Reborn assigned me with the Cloud Guardian, he's a difficult one…"

Elsa was very curious, and at the same time excited to meet the Vongola Cloud Guardian. Even if she was officially attached to the Cavallone family for life, that didn't stop her from admiring another mafia family, as long as she kept it a secret.

Romario stopped the car a outside a school. Quite a large one at that, bigger than even the high schools in her hometown by a mile. The gates were closed, so the three of them had to climb over. After that, Elsa knew this was definitely not legal, she could see students were gaping at them through the windows, even the teachers were flabbergasted, but for some strange reason they continued on with the lesson as if they didn't want any part of it.

At some point, they were stopped by two very…very…weird looking students with big (I mean HUGE) hair. Even if she couldn't read kanji, the red armbands already told her they were trouble. Dino however didn't look phased at all, in fact Romario looked even glad to see one of them. That _one _glanced over at Elsa and smiled. She nodded back nervously and looked away.

They were led up the stairs of one of the several buildings, it was the first time Elsa had ever been inside a middle school, it was an awkward experience…especially with all the students looking at them with dread in their eyes, although she could see some girls had smitten looks on their faces when they saw Dino. Elsa didn't like that. Why was he always being checked out?

Romario stopped in front of a door, and the boy (well he looked pretty old for a middle-schooler) from earlier, who Elsa found out was called Kusakabe, went in first. And for good reason too. Something came swinging their way, hit the edge of the door barely missing Dino's face, and spun on the ground wildly. Elsa was too shocked to move. From the corner of her eye she could see what had been thrown at them, it was a tonfa. Who used tonfas these days?

"Sorry, he hasn't been in a very good mood lately…" Kusakabe chuckled.

Elsa side-stepped around the tonfa and saw the rat who had thrown it. He was standing in the middle of the rooftop, with a tiny yellow bird perched above his head. He had another tonfa in his right hand, and heck…he did **not** look like a very nice person. Dark hair, bangs over his sharp eyes, a small physique but judging from the way he threw his weapon he was probably far from weak. His face was rather pretty-looking for a boy, Elsa thought he'd probably grow up to be a stunner. Too bad he was only a kid.

He glared at them, menace in his eyes. Elsa shuddered. She took back what she said.

Dino picked up the tonfa on the ground and strolled towards him nonchalantly, and for a moment Elsa feared for Dino's life. "Wait …I don't think…"

"Kyoya, how are you?" Dino asked, without even a hint of fear in his voice. He threw the tonfa at the boy, and immediately it ricocheted back and came spinning towards Dino's face again.

"You disturbed my sleep."

What a little prick! Elsa wanted to bolt at him, but Romario held her back.

"Calm down Miss Luca, it's just how Hibari Kyoya is. Boss is pretty much used to this already…"

"What kind of student attacks his master so blindly for no reason?"

"Is this the girl you mentioned to me back then?" Kusakabe asked with interest.

"Yeah, this is her."

"Looks like they finally sorted things out."

"It took a long time, but it's turned out perfectly. My subordinates and I are expecting things to move fast after—"

Elsa burst out loud, "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?"

They all looked at her. Hibari wasn't at all pleased with this addition. It was bad enough he had a foreign nuisance to deal with every so often, but for that foreign nuisance to bring along a mangy herbivore that sounded as annoying as she looked…oh boy Hibari's mood wasn't getting any better. Dino could see the head prefect was about to lunge at his girl. He intervened.

"How about a fight? It's been a while since we've seen each other."

Hibari sneered," Fight? Hardly. An idiot that doesn't pay attention while getting beaten to a pulp isn't worth my time."

"You're wrong Kyoya. I'll admit I haven't been in the right state of mind for quite some time, but now I'm ready. I've got my triumph card behind me, everything should be back to normal." Dino threw him the tonfa again. This time Hibari caught it with one hand. He eyed the Cavallone boss suspiciously, then smirked in a bloodthirsty manner. He needed something to hit anyway.

"We'll see about that."

And then, all hell broke loose. Elsa could only slump to the ground and watch while her imbecile man and his pip-squeak (and kind of cute) student sparred violently. It was like watching a dog fight – not that she'd ever seen one. But she knew they were really bloody and brutal. Romario was now chatting leisurely with Kusakabe, they both seemed to be talking about their difficult lives being second-in-command. Elsa could not believe this was all going on right before her eyes. No one even seemed to notice they were having an all out brawl on the roof of a middle school full of underage teenagers. And how old was this Hibari-boy anyway? Elsa didn't like his arrogance, who was he to look down on Dino? But she had to admit, his who-gives-a-shit personality was a real turn on. Gross, hitting on a kid was wrong in so many ways. Elsa turned her focus onto something else.

"Ciaossu." Reborn greeted, standing beside her. Elsa was thrilled to see the Arcabaleno after so long.

"Elsa!" called a familiar voice, "You're -huff- here -wheeze- I saw you from my classroom…" Tsuna came crashing through the open doorway. He'd tripped on the last few steps.

"Oh, Sawada. Good to see you!" said Elsa, smiling. One look at the young boss, and she could see he had matured substantially since she last saw him. Although he was still kind of no-good, not that she could talk. Tsuna dragged himself beside her and slumped against the wall, but just as he was about to speak to her, a puff of pink smoke erupted around them.

"LAMBO! Why are you even here? REBORN DID YOU BRING HIM?" Tsuna squawked.

The little nuisance had his bazooka in hand and was blinking as if he'd no clue what was going on. The pink smoke began to fade, and a figure much taller than Elsa began to come forward. Tsuna gulped, unsure of what to expect, the Elsa ten years from now would be in her early thirties! He smoke finally cleared, and he could finally see clearly who had appeared from the future. Reborn was watching curiously. Hibari and Dino on the other hand, were too busy swinging their weapons at each other's heads to notice. And god knows when Kusakabe and Romario would stop talking.

The older Elsa scratched her head in confusion. She assessed her surroundings, cocking her eyebrow at the fight that was going on before her. She looked down, and saw Tsuna gawking at her. She had a puzzled look on her face, "Is this a dream?" Tsuna thought her voice was much huskier. She had the same angry eyes, but her face was slimmer. Her hair was even shorter than her younger self, and there weren't cowlicks springing here and there, even her bangs were cleaner and shorter. She was wearing a suit, and there were a number of unusual rings on her fingers. The only other thing that hadn't changed other than her eyes, were the three earrings on her left ear. This Ten Year Later Elsa was holding a bag of groceries in her arms.

"Elsa…?" Tsuna said warily.

She showered him with questions, "Vongola Tenth? Reborn? Why are you both so much younger? Where am I?"

"Lambo shot the Ten Year Bazooka at you…"

"UGH! Are you serious? I was just on my way home!"

"Should I call Dino?" Reborn said, pointing to Dino who was currently in a weapon lock with Hibari.

TYL Elsa shook her head. She pressed a finger against her lips, "Best if he doesn't see me right now, or else he'll be asking questions. Besides, I'm currently pissed off at him he—nevermind, leave it for the future. Can you pass on a message for my Ten Year Younger Self?"

Tsuna nodded, not sure what else to say.

"Tell her not to follow Dino to town, she'll regret it."

"Why?"

"It's best if I don't say, because she'll just go ahead and do it. I was quite impulsive for an eighteen-year-old. I'm proud to say I'm much more calm nowadays—" a tonfa hit her on the head. She snapped, "HEY, HIBARI KYOUYA YOU STUPID LITTLE…I CAN'T BELIEVEI HAVE TO PUT UP WITH YOU EVEN TEN YEARS IN THE PAST, YOU NEARLY TURNED DINO GAY YOU LITTLE PRICK!"

Tsuna really…really wasn't sure what to say. Even Reborn was at a loss for words.

**xxxx**

**Ten Years Later…**

Pink smoke faded into the air. The young Elsa coughed and gagged as she landed on the hard stony surface. She sat dizzily without moving for a while, then stood up and looked around her.

"Where the hell am I?" she muttered. She was sitting in front of a wide metal door, the place looked oddly familiar. Elsa got to her feet and dusted her shorts.

"Els, so that's where you were!" she recognized that voice from anywhere. But what happened to fighting on a rooftop with your student? Elsa turned around, and almost tripped on her own two feet. It was truly a shock to her, how was this even possible? The man she had dreamt about twice was standing right before her eyes, looking as if he'd just chased her across the globe. He was panting heavily.

"Who…you…what…Dino?"

"You're…" he looked bewildered, "…the past Elsa!"

So this whole, freaking time…she had been dreaming about DINO? Well that was great. It really showed how obsessed with him she was. And here she thought there was going to be a way to make him jealous, she knew it was impossible from the start. Besides that, why was an older-looking Dino here anyway?

"Where am I?" Elsa asked.

"I'm assuming somebody hit you with the Ten Year Bazooka…I've got five minutes with you."

"So, you're Dino, but ten years older?" she gaped. Dino was in his early thirties and yet, he still looked like an eligible, sexy, single, bachelor – which she hoped he wasn't. This older Dino had a bouquet of orchids in his hands, and looked very panicked. Elsa was curious to know why he had been looking so frantically for her older self. She pursed her lips and scrutinized him, "We're not…fighting right now are we?"

"No—well yes but…it was a misunderstanding! I don't know why you think Kyoya and I…nevermind. Just remember not to come up with anything bizarre about me…cheating…in the past," he urged, and then muttered inaudibly under his breath, "With Kyoya of all people…"

"Are those flowers for me? Oh my, we're still together after ten years?"

"We—"

And with a puff of pink smoke, Elsa returned to the past where Tsuna and Reborn were staring at her. Dino and Hibari were _still _going at it. She saw a bag of groceries on the floor.

"You're back!" Tsuna yelled.

"Too bad, your Ten Year Later Self had something to say." Reborn smirked. "Something about Dino cheating on you."

Tsuna gawked , "THAT'S NOT WHAT SHE—"

Elsa rose to her feet furiously, picked up the grocery bag and pegged it with all her might as Dino. Upon hearing her yell out his name, he turned around in the middle of his fight. It didn't do well for him that both the items and Hibari's tonfa had managed to hit him at the same time.

After that, the sparring stopped on the basis that Elsa had carelessly interrupted and caught Dino off-guard. Hibari wasn't too happy about this, but he was pleased to know his idiot-of-a-tutor had stopped daydreaming during their bloody fights. Dino left with a sore head, and Elsa with a pissed-off expression. She could hardly utter a civil goodbye to Tsuna and Reborn. Lambo, she didn't even bother. Even when Romario had (in his good mood) driven them to the hotel and whistled inappropriately whilst telling them to "have a good time", Elsa had a sour and ugly look on her face. She didn't talk to Dino in the elevator, and she didn't even gasp in awe when they entered a new re-furbished suite. She didn't even comment on the fact there was only one king sized bed for them to share. She didn't even realize how inappropriate their current situation was…

"Elsa." Dino said.

"What?" she snapped.

"What are you mad for?"

"I don't know, you tell me. Planning on having any flings with other girls OR BOYS in the future?"

"What? No! Boys?"

"I believe you," she muttered sarcastically. Actually, she wasn't even sure why this was bothering her so much, it wasn't like Dino had done anything wrong…yet. Maybe that's why her future self was mad at Dino's future self, because he was a lecherous—

"I'll be going then. Tsuna's mother gave me your old clothes you left behind at their house the last time you stayed over, so I'll leave them here."

Elsa grabbed his arm, "Wait, where are you going?"

Dino sighed, "Where else? To Romario's room."

"Serious? No, don't go, I'm not mad anymore!…err…uhh…you should stay…" Elsa would never forgive herself for taken up this entire suite for such a stupid reason as her being too mad to share a room with him. She had to learn to control her temper.

Dino stopped in his tracks. His eyes widened in surprise. Elsa was…more eager than he thought. They hadn't even done anything since they professed their love for each other, she would always have the excuse of wanting to wait until she was 'worthy' and 'stronger'. This couldn't be right…Dino had to make sure. "You really…want us to…?"

"Why not?" Elsa said almost immediately, "I can't have all this luxury to myself anyway." She sat on the bed and patted the empty space beside her. Dino could not believe his eyes. He plopped himself down and stared at her, trying to figure her out.

"You're not…nervous?" he asked, taking her hand.

"About what?"

"This." He eyed the bed sheets.

"This? This…" Elsa saw Dino was starting to take his clothes off. She fell off the bed, "Hey hey hey HEY what are you doing?" she then realized what he THOUGHT she meant. Elsa scrambled to her feet and pulled his shirt back on. "I didn't intend for **anything **like that!" her face went red as she shifted away from him. She couldn't believe they were about to…well…NO. She held onto her clothes, just in case.

Dino began blushing as well, "Sorry..." he felt ashamed of himself, but at least he knew Elsa perfectly innocent and unaware (of hormones apparently). Although, he never expected_ himself_ to be so eager. "What did you want me to do then?"

"Just…stay with me…I guess…"

"You know that's not an easy thing to do for a man…when he spends a night with the girl he loves."

"I didn't think about that." Elsa confessed. And she didn't want to tell him she planned on keeping her virtue until marriage, man was she old school.

They sat awkwardly, side by side, until Dino mustered all the man-pride he had and said, "I'll stay."

"A-Are you sure…if it's a problem then…?"

"I'm fine Elsa." He smiled, and ruffled her hair. "What kind of boyfriend would I be if I can't even control myself? If you're not ready, then neither am I."

_Shit_. Elsa thought to herself. How did she get herself such a perfect man? One day she was going to wake up and be disappointed that this was all just a dream.

When the night came, even though Dino had said all that, it proved to be more difficult that he thought. While they lay dead still on either side of the bed, Elsa was daydreaming about where they would be going tomorrow, Dino however, could not even close his eyes without doubting himself. He wished he had some kind of padlock to hold himself down, sure he was in control for now, but what if he suddenly had an unconscious impulse in the middle of the night and attacked her? He should have insisted on sleeping in another room, well it wasn't too late now…he could always sneak out once she fell asleep.

Dino felt something soft press against his back. He felt a pair of arms slip around his waist and hold him tightly. Elsa wasn't making life any easier for him.

"Turn around…" she mumbled, blushing.

"I can't. If I do, I might lose myself." Dino smiled, he put his hands over hers.

"I'm sorry you have to put up with me…"

"Jeez, why do you say that?" Dino chuckled softly, "I'd rather put up with you that lose you."

Elsa mumbled something to herself, then fell silent. For a while they lay comfortably, but it still didn't feel right. Dino knew exactly what he had to do, but it scared him to try it. If he saw her blushing face bathed in the moonlight, maybe he could lose control. But, whatever. It was better than staying awake all night, he had plans for tomorrow just for the two of them. And if he did try anything, well…just go with the flow.

Dino pried her arms from his waist shifted his position so he was facing Elsa. Surprisingly, as adorable as her expression was right now, there was no impulse to jump on her. Instead, he just fell deeper in love. Sighing with relief, he brought her against his chest, and immediately things were much easier. They felt like one, even without taking a step further.

"Thank you."

**xxxx**

The very next day. Elsa was in for a shocking surprise.

"We're going to town to get me a real tattoo? FINALLY!"

Too bad it didn't turn out to be as painless as she thought…

* * *

Don't forget to tell me your plans for the epilogue!

Damn this is the longest update I've ever done in my life.


	42. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"VOI! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?" Squalo slammed a glossy piece of paper on the table.

Belphagor has smiled with dark interest at his reaction. Not one person in this room really gave a damn about who's wedding they'd just been invited to, all except Squalo who seemed infuriated with the news.

"How romantic." Lussuria said.

Squalo balled up his fist. He pointed irately at the wedding invite, "WHEN DID THAT IDIOT…!"

"Why do you care? Jealous he's got a girl and you don't? Shishishishi…"

Squalo glared at him, "Shut up, like you can talk!"

"I'm a prince, I can get any girl I want."

"Not before she leaves you for being a phony degenerate," Fran lethally butt-in. His eyes were skimming indifferently over the invitation. "Master will be eager to go, there hasn't been a single event like this in years. Of course…a perverted-peacock-drag queen, gambling-addict-infant, nasty-looking-molester, bogus-wannabe-prince-with-no-eyes and dumbass-with-humiliating-long-hair-commander could never get laid."

"WHAT?" Squalo, Bel, Levi, Lussuria, Marmon all cried at once. Before a war could break out, Xanxus had suddenly made an effort to lean over, pick up his invitation and flick it between the six of them. They stared at their boss, startled.

"I'm going." He said blatantly.

This had almost given the entire Varia squad a heart attack.

**xxxx**

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Hibari was sitting calmly on a flat cushion, sipping his tea. If one had to describe him in a word, it would be exceedingly _elegant._

"Kyou-san, you're really going to Dino-san's wedding?" Kusakabe asked.

Hibari sighed, "Not for that imbecile. If I had a choice I wouldn't be going."

"Then…WHY?" Kusakabe knew very well his boss was the LAST person on earth to turn up to some celebratory gathering with hoards of people _mingling. _The reason would have to be pretty legit…as well as beneficial.

Hibari smirked. "You'll see."

Kusakabe sighed. There was always a catch to it.

**xxxx**

Something so innocent and beautiful was not witnessed in the mafia very often. Even the most hardened and bloodthirsty Mafiosi had respect for those who chose to walk their bloody path with a companion that could potentially pass away. For Dino and Elsa, this moment was the most important time in their lives. Since the day they became an item, a bumpy road was left behind them. Twice –literally – TWICE they had broken up on Elsa's side due to complications with Dino's student. This was also the reason Dino had delayed proposing to her for a very long time.

The first break up, she had caught Dino sitting inside Hibari Kyoya's office…the two of them…alone…and to _her _that was considered cheating. She always felt Dino and Hibari's relationship was suspiciously too close, and once she had even tried confronting the Cloud Guardian, but he merely smirked at her as if it were amusing and walked off. Well, they made up after Dino gave her a bouquet of flowers and promised he wasn't gay (much to Luciano's dismay).

The second time, Elsa had walked in on Dino TALKING ON THE PHONE WITH HIBARI, which had driven her mad. Pots and pans were flying across the room, and for the first time in their relationship, Dino had stormed out on her muttering under his breath "this is just ridiculous…". Then after about 24 hours of giving each other the silent treatment, they both gave in and made love—no actually they sat awkwardly on the couch hand in hand. Hah.

Surprisingly enough, Elsa had remained celibate until now. Dino never questioned why they'd never taken a step further from first base, because he always knew she was waiting to walk down the aisle as a virgin. As for him, well, Elsa never found out if he was still 'pure' or not, and she didn't want to know either. Many thought their relationship was strange, and many families had also stopped trying to separate them after realizing their bond. Theirs was a unique one, more emotional than physical, during their darkest times when one would have to leave the other, Elsa and Dino always looked less vital. Whenever they reunited, immediately the atmosphere would lit up. But let's not delve into their troubles any longer, this day was a day that every girl would dream for. A day to celebrate the union of two human beings.

The proposal was…well…let's say…disappointing to the entire Cavallone family. Dino had planned avidly to make it as romantic as possible, as all Italians do, but things did not go according to the agenda. He had Elsa blind-folded and taken to a wonderful spot on a high cliff that stood over a spectacular horizon of mother nature. But unfortunately, no one realized (not even Elsa herself) she had developed a phobia for heights ever since her near-death-experience falling off the balcony of a hotel (naked) with Dino there. So instead of him getting down on one knee, holding out a priceless diamond ring, Elsa had wrapped her arms and legs around him like a spider, cowering for him to take her back down IMMEDIATELY. He lost the ring that day, and accidently let it slip while they were on the chopper on their way home.

"Damn, where did the ring go?"

"What ring?"

"Uhh…"

"Were you planning to propose?"

And after that, well, in the end things worked out, and Elsa was still elated. 6 months later, she was sitting in the dressing room while Luciano worked his magic for her big day. Her lacey, white wedding dress with a high-low hem was fitted on her. Her shoulders felt bare and her neck, exposed. She couldn't tell what Luciano was doing as he patted a foundation brush over her clavicle.

"Y-You're too close!"

"Elsa, stay still!"

She weakly nudged him away, but he wouldn't stop harassing her. Luciano was absolutely disgusted by what was etched into Elsa's neck – the word _sempre_ in gothic text. Why, of all words and patterns she could have gotten, did Dino choose to permanently stain her skin with the word SEMPRE?

"Blame that stupid Bucking-horse! He forced me to get it years ago!"

"This is a disaster! You can't go out with this…this **thing **flashing out to the crowd!"

Elsa cocked her eyebrow, as she always did when things made no sense. "It's a crowd full of macho mafia, why would anyone care if they see one small tattoo? Dino has a huge one that goes all the way down to his—"

"DON'T SAY IT. I don't want to hear about you two and your sick fantasies!"

Elsa flushed bright red, "I…I was just going to say his back…and we've never…"

Luciano nearly choked on his own spit. His _best _friend never changed. Elsa's hair was much easier to tame these days, as was her temper. But neither completely disappeared, which was what kept her as the same lively girl everyone loved (cough, snicker, laugh out loud).

He powdered her nose one last time and took a step back, admiring his handiwork as he always did. He sighed, too proud of himself, "Perfect! Possibly even more beautiful than Yano!" he paused, "Actually, let's hope she turns up underdressed."

"Thanks."

"No I'm kidding, you really do look stunning. And everyone knows a girl looks her best when in a wedding dress." Luciano smiled at her reassuringly. Elsa twirled her finger in a wavy lock shyly. She looked at herself in the mirror and felt a smile spread across her face. For the first time in her life, she couldn't wait for Dino to see her.

**xxxx**

Where he stood got him more nervous than ever. Every once in a while he'd glance back at the crowd, Tsuna looking happy for him. Hibari was nowhere to be seen, but knowing him he was probably hiding outside or under a table OR he'd turn up at the last minute, Dino wasn't too worried. He was looking his smartest today in his black suit, with one side of his blonde locks tucked behind his ear as usual. Ever since he changed his hair, Elsa had never once commented or given her approval, but he assumed she liked it very much since he'd always catch her staring at him with a smitten look on her face.

He heard an eruption of whispers behind him as the doors flung open. He then gulped as the sound of heels stepping down the aisle, entering the church. Dino gulped, a sense of excitement yet edginess shattered through him. What would he say to her? What if he fell? Even if the entire Cavallone family was sitting behind him, he still wasn't 100% sure he wouldn't trip on his own two feet or make a complete fool out of himself. He was determined not to ruin this special day.

As the footsteps came closer, he began to perspire. His heart only stopped racing, when he felt a delicate hand slide into his arm. When he turned to look at her alluring, glinting eyes, he felt his world shift beneath him. A surge of devote love sprung up his torso, and he felt that even if earth was to blow up this very moment, he wouldn't mind if _this_ was the last thing he had to see. Elsa de Luca, the girl he was about to spend his life with (not like they weren't already living together), was standing right before him with a shy grin painted across her lips. He wanted to kiss her right here right now. To him, there could be no girl more perfect that her. To him, Elsa was the epitome of perfection.

"You look beautiful."

"A-And you look…" she stuttered, not used to complimenting her own man, "perfect as always…"

Dino could feel himself on the verge of tears, and he could see quite frankly Elsa was on the same boat. But diligently and with composure, they both stood there, waiting for the sermons to finish. They said their vows until the last utter of 'til death do us part'. But before they could share a kiss for the first time in public, the most _expected _thing happened.

Luciano rose from his seat and cried, "I OBJECT!" only to be restrained by Romario who reassured everyone the poor man was just drunk and to carry on with the ceremony. But Luciano struggled free from his grasps and yelled even louder, "I'VE ALWAYS LOVED YOU MY DINO—" to which a bunch of others tackled him to the ground and knocked him out, urging everyone to get on with the ceremony.

Elsa had trouble holding her laughter inside, as did Dino. They went on with the kiss, and the entire church erupted in cheers. Nothing could replace a moment as precious as this. In the end, Hibari had been there the entire time, but standing hidden by the door. And truth be told, no one had found out why he REALLY turned up, Kusakabe just assumed he genuinely wanted to come but was denying it.

Before leaving for their honeymoon, Squalo had stopped them on the way and gave Dino a long, hard glare. Elsa was stoked to see him for the very first time in her life! Dino was always talking about him or going away on trips to visit the Varia, but not once did he let her come along for fear she would freak out at the sight of them…or something along those lines.

"VOI!" he cried, and Elsa jumped. Squalo turned his glare onto her, she looked admirably back at him. He spat, "I don't approve!"

Elsa, offended, opened her mouth to snap back at the long-haired loudmouth, but before she could, Dino patted the Varia assassin on the shoulder and clicked his tongue. "You're not getting any younger Squalo, I think it's about time you left the Varia." This left the rest of the squad in painful guffaws.

Elsa laughed at her boyfr—husband's remark. While making their way to their ride, to their honeymoon, to a fresh new beginning together. Elsa thought to herself:

It was roughly around ten years ago, she could vaguely remember those tender moments of her life. She couldn't fathom how much she missed those days, her two years of servitude to **him. **If she could relive those times, heaven would have meant nothing to her. Oh those joyous, unforgettable, lively memories, with the man she hated, yet loved…so passionately.

And now, well, it was time to move on.

...

...

...

...

_**Finito**_

* * *

xxxx

**Last A/N ever (read if you want, up to you) **

This epilogue was based on a number of your ideas! If you don't see yours there, please don't worry, I probably just wasn't sure how to fit it in the plot but nevertheless I really appreciated it. Thank you for submitting plot bunnies, I will be saving every review for this last chapter in a folder, just for some memories (I'm a loser like that OTL). Too much cheese. The reason the last chapter is so short is because, well, ultimately their adventures have come to an end, there's nothing more to write about their relationship.

I've mentioned this a few times, that I never expected this fanfic to last more than two or three chapters. Originally it was just something I happened to type up out of boredom, quite a number of years ago, but as crappy as my writing has been, I still enjoyed writing about Elsa and Dino. I'm not going to write a sequel, but I still have various projects planned for the future (most of them are shonen-ai and yaoi). If you can't stand any more of my writing, but you miss me or something (HAHA I don't think so) then hit me up with a message or visit my profile, I'll always be on ffn :)

It's been what? Two years? And I've seen many readers come and go, but please remember:

"Every reader is a part of the story."

Thank you for avidly following **When Pigs Fly**, YOU have been the greatest supporter yet. If this is the end of our inappropriate relationship, take care of yourself, work hard and live life to the fullest.

Below is a link to a DinoXOCElsa drawing I drew…and that I failed epicly at coloring. Just a goodbye…gift…or whatever you want to call it. Feel free to use it however you like:

**nerro-comix (dot) deviantart (dot) com/art/DinoXElsa-254374553**

REMEMBER TO REPLACE (dot) with actual .

Be safe, be well, spread the love.

-Nerro

**P.S. To the people who are reading Inevitable Happenings, I have decided to drop it. You will find the reason once I post my new fanfiction called "The Pursuit of Perfection" labeled under HibariOC as well. If you've alerted me, you'll receive the email for it once its released. Please give it a read!**


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